Setting Up Kindle On Your iPad & Other iOS Devices

The iPad makes for an awesome paperless device, for reading eBooks, webpage articles, PDF documents and the like. The backlit screen makes for great nighttime reading, and the battery life is decent. Likewise, the Amazon Kindle Store offers probably the widest, relatively affordable selection of eBooks for iOS devices.

Since the first version release of the iOS Kindle reader app, Amazon has made some significant updates to its e-reader and online Kindle Store. But there are limits and challenges you need to know about.

Setting Up Kindle For iOS

To get the most out of the Kindle reading experience on your iPad or other iOS device, you will want to download these three Amazon apps: Kindle for iOS, Amazon Mobile, and Send to Kindle for the Mac.

You might also want to set up two Amazon web-optimized web apps for your iOS device(s) - Kindle Cloud Reader and Kindle Store for the iPad. Visit both of these links on your  iOS device and follow the instructions for installing them on the home page of your device. I will explain shortly how they are useful.

Kindle Reader

The Kindle Reader has some useful new features that make accessing Kindle books a lot easier. First off, the advantage of using the Kindle Reader is that you can download for free the first chapter or two of a Kindle book, and review it at your convenience. Since it only takes about a minute to purchase and download the full version of a Kindle book, you can order a book only when you’re ready to read it.

The latest version of the Kindle Reader now has all your content in the cloud. That means you can access all your purchased books from Amazon’s server. When you’re done with a book, you can remove it (tap and hold down on the cover until the “Remove from device” pops up) from your device, and re-download it from the cloud whenever you want. Accessing books from the cloud frees up storage space on your device. Downloaded items also be read offline on your device.

In addition to books, you can also read newspapers, magazines, and PDF documents on the latest version of the app. The app now categorizes these items by kind. The Send to Kindleapp for your Mac or PC is also useful for simply dropping a PDF on the app’s icon in your Dock, and it will be automatically sent to your device.

Downloading & Ordering Books

If there is a Kindle version of a book in the Amazon Store, you can simply click the “Try it free” button, or purchase it to be delivered to your Kindle account and iOS device. Each listed book in the Amazon Store indicates either in the Formats section or left side of the product page if a Kindle version of that book is available.

On the last page of free sample Kindle books, there’s a link for “See details for this book in the Kindle Store.” Unfortunately those links no longer work because of restrictions put in place by Apple. So in order to link to, and order, the full version of a Kindle book you must visit the product page for that book in the Kindle Store.

You can also visit the Kindle Store directly on your computer or your iOS device via any web browser. However, if you’re an avid reader, either bookmark the Kindle Store section of Amazon on your device, and/or use the Kindle Store web apps listed above. This way you can search for and download Kindle books directly from the store.

Reading Kindle Books

If you’re using the Kindle Reader for simply say reading novels, it works great. But if you’re trying use the Reader for study purposes, you might find its annotations tools inadequate.

The Kindle Reader features very basic annotation tools. It has a single yellow highlighter, a bookmarker, and small text window for notes.

When you highlight text, you also get the option to share the link of that selection to your Twitter or Facebook stream. The selection will also be found on your online Kindle account.

However, Kindle Reader is very inadequate for study purposes. You can review all your highlights and notes in a small pop-up window (“My Notes and Marks“) in the selected Kindle book. Tapping to a highlighted passage is not too bad, but it would useful to have different colored markers to differienate highlights.

When you bookmark a page, the review window shows the first line of the bookmarked page. It would be better if you could add a custom title or note for why you bookmarked a particular page. Finally, bookmarks, notes, and highlights are all thrown into the same window, making them very difficult to review for serious study purposes.

On the plus side, however, the Kindle Reader contains what is called an automatic Whispersync feature that remembers the selected last page you read of a Kindle book. If you are reading a Kindle book on both your iPad and iPhone, Whispersync will keep your pages and annotations in sync.

Your Kindle Account

The best way I’ve found to review annotations and notes for Kindle books is to visit your Your Kindle Highlights page where you can sign in and review the annotations you made in all your Kindle purchased books. Sadly, however, some publishers limit the amount of highlighted pages that can be reviewed online.

In the Highlights page you can actually copy and paste highlighted passages, which is something you can’t do in the Kindle Reader. Another option is to use the Kindle Cloud Reader, referenced earlier. It provides a slightly better option for viewing your annotations.

No doubt, over time, the Kindle reader will get more improvements. But in the meantime, I still find the Kindle the most affordable and efficient way to maintain a library these days. It’s a lot better than having shelves and shelves of paper books that are difficult to manage and store over time.

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Browser Plugins – One Of The Biggest Security Problems On The Web Today [Opinion]

Web browsers have become much more secure and hardened against attack over the years. Google even offers cash prizes to people that report security holes. The big browser security problem these days is browser plugins. I don’t mean the extensions that you install in your browser – I mean those plugins that any web page can take advantage of, like Adobe Flash, Adobe Reader, and Oracle’s Java.

Some readers found my comments encouraging people to uninstall Java if they don’t use itcontroversial. I stand by them, and I’ll tell you why. I’ll also tell you what you can do to help protect yourself.

Attack Surface

The Flashback trojan infected over 600,000 Macs. How’d it infect them? It called the Java plugin from a web page and loaded a special Java applet that exploited a Java bug, gaining access to the system. Having Java installed increases your attack surface. Now picture a browser with multiple plugins – Java, Flash, PDF reader, QuickTime, Silverlight, Unity Web Player, RealPlayer (I’m sure some people still have that installed), and more – and you’ll see just how much plugins increase your attack surface. Each plugin must be updated separately using its own update manager. While browser vendors are under heavy scrutiny to write secure code, plugin developers don’t seem to have the same fire in their bellies, and many of them have atrocious security records.

The great thing about compromising a plugin is that you can compromise multiple platforms at once. Find a security hole in Flash and you’re able to compromise nearly every browser on the planet – Internet Explorer on Windows, Safari on a Mac, Firefox on Linux – you can run wild.

Automatic Updates?

Plugins are far behind browsers when it comes to security practices, particularly automatic updates. Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, and even Internet Explorer now automatically update by default. In comparison, Oracle’s Java plugin checks for updates once a month by default. And, instead of automatically updating, it shows a little system tray icon that many inexperienced users will ignore. Sure, you can increase the update-checking frequency, but this is not the behavior of a company that cares about security. It’s no wonder that Chrome blocks Java from running by default and instructs users to only run it on websites they trust.

Instead, browsers have had to pick up the plugin-developers’ slack and blacklist older plugin versions to prevent them from running. Adobe Flash has recently hopped aboard the automatic-updating bandwagon, but they should have started years ago.

Statistics

You don’t have to go far to find studies about how big a problem browser plugins are. We’ve already established that browser plugins should be updated frequently, but:

• A May 2011 study found that 40% of Java plugins in the wild were unpatched. (Source)
• A November 2011 study found that 94% of Adobe Shockwave, 70% of Java, 65% of Adobe Reader, and 42% of QuickTime installations in the enterprise were out-of-date. (Source)

The Future is Plugin-less

Browser plugins are on their way out. Once upon a time, browser plugins were necessary – you’d need special video-playing plugins just to play videos on web pages. Adobe Flash added a lot of features to the web when Microsoft halted development on Internet Explorer and left Internet Explorer 6 to rot and stagnate. IE 6 is still a problem to this day.

Now, HTML5 and accelerating browser development are on the verge of obsoleting plugins completely. New platforms like iOS, Windows Phone, and the Metro environment on Windows 8 don’t support Flash. Android supports Flash, but Adobe has ended development on Flash for mobile. It’s only a matter of time before they end development of Flash for desktops and focus on developing authoring tools that output to HTML5.

What You Can Do

First thing’s first: uninstall plugins you don’t use to reduce your attack surface. You can see what plugins you have installed from your browser’s plugin manager. Type about:plugins into the address bar on Chrome, open the Add-ons window and select Plugins in Firefox, or select Manage Add-ons in Internet Explorer’s Tools menu. To actually uninstall the plugins, use the Control Panel.

If you use a plugin and keep it installed, you’ll need to keep it updated. Mozilla offers a usefulpage that scans your plugins and checks if they’re up-to-date – it works with all browsers, not just Firefox.

You can also enable “click-to-play” support in Chrome or install an add-on like Flashblock for Firefox. To enable click-to-play in Chrome, click the wrench menu, select Settings, click Show advanced settings, click the Content Settings button, and enable Click to Play under Plug-ins. This will prevent plugins from running on web pages until you explicitly allow them.

What do you think of browser plugins and the security issues surrounding them? Leave a comment and let us know.

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Calculations 4.0 For Android: If You Are Going on A Trip, This is One App You Need [Android 2.1+]

When you’re a stranger in a strange land, your smartphone can be the most useful thing you carry, next to your physical wallet maybe. It can help you navigate, stay in touch with friends and family in distant lands, and more.

Calculations 4.0 Pro comes under the “and more” heading: It is an all-in-one app that includes a calculator, a measurement converter, a currency converter, a mortgage calculator (what?), and a tipping calculator. In short, Calculations 4.0 has the potential of being your go-to app when it comes to numbers, especially when you’re abroad.

It Is Not Perfect, And It’s Not Free, Either

This is the first thing you should know: Calculations 4.0 costs money – one dollar, as of this writing. There’s also a free version, but I felt the app is useful enough to justify spending a single dollar. Now, about perfection: I have yet to review the perfect app or game, and Calculations 4.0 does have disadvantages, especially in the data entry department. We’ll get to those in a moment.

The Calculator

Despite its very ICS look-and-feel, Calculations works with Android 2.1 and above. Still, it’s nice to see it blend in so well with my Android 4.0 phone. Above you can see the calculator; this is probably not the most exciting screenshot you will see today, but it does pack a nice little UI innovation: The advanced scientific functions are all bundled up in a sliding menu, saving valuable pixels and allowing for large, comfortable buttons.

Measurement Conversion

Measurement conversions are where Calculations really starts to shine. Sure, you can always Google “193 cm in inches,” but that takes time. The measurement conversion here is instant, and the results show many units of measurements at the same time, which is nice. Despite this wealth of units of measurements, I was missing a simple height conversion: What’s 193 centimeters in feet and inches?

Also, it doesn’t include shoe size conversions, but then again, sizes tend to vary between manufacturers, and most shoes have US/EU/UK measurements written on them anyway. It does have a very handy temperature converter, which is great for figuring out the weather when you’re away from home.

Currency Conversion

Again, something Calculations 4.0 does better than Google: You can set a number of output currencies, and results are instant – much faster than Googling “15 USD in Kuwaiti Dinar.” But this is one screen that needs work in terms of UI: I will never use the entire screen space (who needs six output currencies?), so there should at least be a small keypad here.

Mortgage Calculations

This is a classic example of feature bloat. Honestly: Who needs temperature conversions along with mortgage calculations? I have no idea why this feature was included. It’s not like everyone needs to do mortgage calculations every two days. In my humble opinion, Calculations 4.0 would be much better off without this feature, which perhaps could be spun off into its own app. After all, people who need to do lots of mortgage calculations on a routine basis can probably afford another app, and the rest of us would get a leaner version of Calculations.

Tipping Calculations

And we’re back to the brilliant features: The tipping calculator is absolutely top-notch. You can enter the bill total and number of people, the tax rate, and use the slider to determine tipping percentage. You then get exactly how much tip each person should leave, and can round the numbers off.

While this part of Calculations 4.0 is very good indeed, it is still not perfect: I wish there was a way to save the tax percentage (you don’t move between countries every day, do you?) and the tip percentage (again, local custom), and that there was an easier way to enter the bill total. Perhaps the slider could be dedicated to that, rather than the tipping percentage.

Final Thoughts

Despite its minor UI annoyances, Calculations 4.0 Pro is an excellent Android app, especially if you plan going abroad sometime soon. Do you have another must-have unit converter for when you’re abroad? Seriously, I’m not just asking: I plan to go abroad in the next few months, and am looking for a great one. I like this one, but if you can show me something better, I’d love to take a look.

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Facebook Adds Scheduled Posts & Admin Roles To Pages [Updates]

Facebook has added two new features to Facebook Pages, its service for businesses, brands, organizations and more. These new features are a boost for Page admins, allowing for better time management and organization of duties.

Page admins can now use the “Admin Roles” option to assign each of the Page’s other admins one of five different roles. Each role has different permissions, so admins can have access only to what they need to see and change. The five levels are manager, content creator, moderator, advertiser and insight analyst. Only a manager can assign admin roles to another.

Here is an outline of the permissions each role gets:

You can read more about admin roles and how to change them in Facebook’s help center.

The other new feature is one that’s been long overdue: scheduled updates. Page admins can now schedule updates up to 6 months in advance, in 15-minute intervals. To schedule a post, simply click the clock icon and choose when you want the update to be published. This option was possible in the past using third-party apps, and it’s a much-needed addition to Facebook’s interface. You can read more about this feature in Facebook’s help center.

Did you get to try these new features?

Source: Facebook 1, Facebook 2

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Alleged photos of T-Mobile's Samsung Galaxy S III look just like international model

Last year, there were some noticeable differences between the international version of the Samsung Galaxy S II and the models sold in the States. There even was some difference between the models sold amongst those major U.S. operators that were offering the phone. You might remember that last year we showed you the difference between the Apple iPhone-style home button on the international version of the Samsung Galaxy S II and the Android navigational buttons used on the U.S. model. Apple had claimed in a lawsuit that Samsung had copied some of its designs for the Samsung Galaxy S II from the Apple iPhone, including the home button. This year, it doesn't appear that there will be any changes between the international and U.S. versions of the Samsung Galaxy S III. If pictures of the T-Mobile version of the Samsung Galaxy S III obtained by The Verge are legit, the device will look exactly the same-with a home button-as the international model. Outside of the T-Mobile branding on the back cover, you wouldn't be able to tell the difference between this phone and the international model.
But will there be any changes within the carriers in the States? Last year, T-Mobile and Sprint carried variants of the Samsung Galaxy S II with a 4.52 display. AT&T's model was equipped with a 4.3 inch screen. Additionally, both AT&T and Sprint (whose model also had a 4.52 inch screen) had versions of the phone powered by a dual-core Exynos processor while T-Mobile's model had a dual-core Qualcomm Snapdragon under the hood.
If we can go by the lack of change seen in the international model of the Samsung Galaxy S III and the purported T-Mobile model, there might just be one look for the device globally. Speculation is that T-Mobile will be launching the Samsung Galaxy S III on June 20th.
source: TheVerge via AndroidCentral

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Samsung Galaxy S III torn down, has same camera sensor as Apple iPhone 4S

The latest smartphone to subject itself to a teardown is the Samsung Galaxy S III. The specific model is the GT-i9300, also known as the international version of the phone. You can tell that it is not the model headed to North America by spotting the Exynos 4412 1.4GHz quad-core processor. As we've already mentioned, the 4412 is produced using the same process used to make the Apple A5 rev 2, APL2498. The latter is also manufactured by Samsung. Storage and other forms of memory are handled by the Samsung KMVTU000LM, a multi-chip Samsung MOVI N and memory module.
Inside the Samsung Galaxy S III you will find the Intel Wireless PMB9811X Gold Baseband that was also used in the Samsung Galaxy S II. Wi-Fi is handled by the Broadcom BMC 4330 and GPS belongs to the Broadcom BCM47511 Monolithic GNSS receiver. The NXP PN544 NFC Chip is on board for NFC support, obviously. SkyWorks is represented with the SKY77604 Multi-Mode / Multi-Band Power Amplifier.
Some parts are labeled to reveal their role in the infrastructure of the phone, such as the Melfas 8PL533 Touch Screen Controller, the Wolfson WM1811AE Audio Codec and the Maxim Max77686 Power Management IC. Other parts inside the Samsung Galaxy S III include the Maxim Max 77693, which is a device that handles a multitude of chores such as PMIC, MUIC, and the flash LED control. You will also find inside the handset the Audience 305B voice processor, the Silicon Image 9224BO RF Transmitter and the STMicroelectronics STD03 AMOLED Display Driver. One thing we left out until now is the Sony 8 Mp 1.4 µm back-illuminated primary (rear facing) image sensor.The reason why we saved that for last is because you will also find the same exact sensor in the Apple iPhone 4S. Finally, Android and Apple fans have a way to compare Apples to, uh, Apples if only just with the camera. No sense in trying to discern from users which camera takes the best pictures because everyone will vote along party lines.
source: Chipworks, iFixit via Pocketlint



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The still unofficial Nexus tablet hasn't even been announced yet, but the rumors surrounding it and the flavor of Android it will have just keep coming. The newest teaser comes from Pandora, which just updated its Android app. In the changelog for the Pandora app is a somewhat cryptic entry which states that the app has been updated with "compatibility support for upcoming Android OS". That certainly seems to point to the emergence of Jelly Bean coming soon enough, especially when added to the benchmarks from the Nexus tablet that we saw, which seemed to say that Android 4.1 would indeed be Jelly Bean. 

Of course, beyond the fact that this adds to the growing info that Jelly Bean is coming soon, it also shows that Google has been giving developers access to the Jelly Bean SDK. We would hope that this means manufacturers are also seeing the code, which could mean quicker updates. People tend to take the date that Google puts the code in the open source repo as the day that work starts on upgrades, but we know that Google does seed OEMs with update code before that. 

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Save your data! Netflix update for iOS brings Wi-Fi only option

Remember the old days when unlimited data plans ruled the States and Apple iPhone users could watch Netflix movies to their heart's content? Now carriers like AT&T and Verizon have become so worried about clogging up their pipelines that they are even thinking about ways to charge Netflix for the bandwidth used by users of its app. Netflix has tried to make things easier for its iOS using fans by adding a Wi-Fi only option in an update to the app.
It's almost as if there is no way out. Those still grandfathered with unlimited data plans are throttled if they are among the top consumers of data in a region, while others are on tiered data plans that limit how often video streaming services like Netflix can be used. The aforementioned update allows users of the Apple iPhone and Apple iPad to toggle the device's 3G/4G connectivity on and off basically giving the user a chance to view Netflix only through Wi-Fi. While that could save you a ton of data, the trade-off is that you will have to find a Wi-Fi signal before you view a movie or T.V. show.
source: GIGaom via SlashGear


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Android 4.0 ICS update for the Samsung Galaxy Note gets the green light in the UK

Needless to say, there has been a lot of praise surrounding the Samsung Galaxy Note of late, but everyone is still wondering when they’ll be able to experience Ice Cream Sandwich on the mighty smartphone. Well, as we already know, our German friends have been living it up with the ICS update early last month, but now we’re hearing word that it’s coming to the folks in the UK as well!
From the sound of it all, the software is being made available as an over-the-air update and through the Samsung KIES desktop software. Of course, UK Samsung Galaxy Note owners should be seeing a notification hitting their smartphone, but if not, you can always check it out for yourself through the KIES software. As for the new update itself, it brings forth all of the Premium Suite of apps that have been designed exclusively for the Galaxy Note – such as the new S Note app and a new S Memo widget for the homescreen.
Slow and steady might be the process for now, but for those AT&T Samsung Galaxy Note LTE owners out there, we’re sure they’re starving to experience the new software as well. Nonetheless, it’s only a matter of time before it happens – albeit, let’s hope that it’s not going to be a long wait. Heck, the Galaxy Note is still one relevant device on the market that’s sure to stand tall against all of the new competition out there.
source: Technobuffalo via Mobileburn


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Better iPhone Audio & Video: Adapters, Microphones And Accessories For Superior Sound [iPhone]

Last week I rounded up a few of the best apps for capturing video and the accessories you might want to consider if you want to get the most out of your iPhone’s video capabilities. Today we’re turning our attention to audio, the achilles heel of any videographer.

It’s a widely regarded belief in the world of moving pictures that bad video can be rescued, edited and cleaned up somewhat, but very little can be done to purify bad audio. Sound quality can make or break your project, and that’s why it’s important to get it right first time.

Let’s take a look at the options.

Internal Mic

The internal microphone found on every iPhone is great for phone calls and quick voice memos. Unfortunately when recording video this mic is facing to the right or left of the frame, not at your subject (or you, for that matter). To add frustration, the quality is not great and will leave you disappointed if you intend to do any serious filming with your phone.

Since the iPhone (particularly the 4S) shoots such great video, it’s reassuring to see plenty of solutions for bringing the audio up to scratch.

iPhone 1/8 inch Microphone Adapter – 3.5mm male (around $25)

Unfortunately you can’t just plug a mic straight into your iPhone’s headphone/microphone jack without an adapter. To do so you will need this relatively cheap adapter which will allow you to connect most standard standard 3.5mm microphones to your iPhone for direct recording.

It’s cheap, cheerful and works with a ton of mono and stereo mic solutions. If you’ve already got a suitable microphone then this is the missing link you’ll need to start using it with your iPhone.

Works with: Dynamic microphones, battery powered video/condenser microphones, battery powered lavalier microphones and wireless microphone systems. If your microphone is not powered (no batteries, PC-style mic), then you’ll need a condenser adapter instead.

Audio-Technica ATR-3350 Lavalier Condenser Mic (around $25)

Coupled with the 3.5mm adapter above, the ATR-3350 clip-on lavalier microphone provides dramatically improved sound quality and comes in at under $50 for the whole kit. While it might seem cheap, the ability to position the mic makes all the difference, and reviews are positive on the whole.

This mono mic is ideal for interviews or narration, with a fairly generous 6 metre cable so you can maintain a sensible shooting distance, just be sure not to trip or tug at the cable too hard.

Audio-Technica ATR-6550 Shotgun Condenser Mic (around $60)

This particular shotgun mic is designed both for short and long-range audio capture. For around $60 this is an affordable kit comprising of a windscreen, jack adapter, stand clamp and battery. This type of mic is ideal if you’re going to be doing one-on-one interviews as its easy to hold and move around.

Prospective buyers might want to consider an additional extension cord as the mic only comes with a metre of cable. Coupled with the first adapter on this list you’ve got a complete mobile interviewing solution and good mid-range recording ability for around $80.

Tascam iM2 Stereo Condenser Microphone (around $60)

The Tascam iM2 is a stereo condenser microphone that sits comfortably at the top of your phone. At around $60, it’s not a bad all-in-one solution for capturing ambient sound, and Tascam claim it will record levels of up to 125 decibels without distorting.

The iM2 has a built-in microphone pre-amp and analog-to-digital converter for its dual microphones. Best of all you won’t need any adapters and it even comes with USB input forpowering your iPhone during long recordings or shooting sessions.

Fostex AR-4i Audio Interface (around $200)

If you’re in need of a stereo solution that’s mounted directly on the camera, then the Fostex AR-4i will probably appeal to you. The system uses the dock connector as opposed to the 3.5mm stereo port, and comes with its own on-board analog-to-digital converter for better sound quality.

The iPhone sits in the adapter which has three stereo line-in ports and comes with two microphones which can be adjusted optimal range. The adapter can be used in landscape mode as a mobile shooter or in portrait mode as a mic stand – ideal for podcasting or voice-over work.

VeriCorder iPhone XLR Adapter (around $60)

VeriCorder’s iPhone XLR adapter opens your phone to a world of professional sound recording possibilities. At $60 for just the adapter this isn’t a cheap solution, especially when you consider you’re going to have to buy an XLR mic too.

The adapter comes with a preamp circuit offering 6.1 decibels of gain as well as a headphone output port for monitoring sound recording levels. This adapter is ideal for bands or videographers who already have a decent XLR microphone ready to go and want to use it with their iPhones.

For an example of an entry-level shotgun microphone in XLR format, check out the Azden Barrell Shotgun Mic for $179 on Amazon. It won’t sing to you like a $1000 Shure or Sennheiser, but offers good performance for the money.

Sony ECM-AW3 Wireless Microphone System (around $200)

If you’re averse to wiring then you might want to think about a wireless microphone. The biggest drawback when it comes to wireless microphones is the cost, which is why for around $200 you can grab the Sony ECM-AW3 single wireless mic and receiver.

Paired with the $25 adapter (first on the list) the ECM-AW3 officially operates at up to 50 metres range, though there are reports that it can exceed this by almost double. You should get about 3 hours out of the Bluetooth system before a battery replacement is required, another price you pay for a wire-free existence.

The sound quality isn’t going to blow you out of the water, but then again $200 is a considerable chunk of your next indie flick budget. If you think you could benefit from a wire-free filming setup then the ECM-AW3 offers good performance without breaking the bank. Of course, if you would like to break the bank and ramp up the quality check out the Sony UWP-V1 instead.

Conclusion

Hopefully there are a few ideas here to help you plan how you’re going to shoot your next movie, documentary or interview with better sound. The adapters mentioned should cover most types of microphones, or if you’re after an all-in-one you might want to think about the AR-4i or iM2 instead. If you have any words of wisdom to share about getting the most out of your iPhone’s video capabilities, leave a comment below.

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2 Sites To Find The Best “Socially-Selected” Desktop Wallpaper

t’s pretty difficult to find a quality wallpaper site anymore. There’s a ton of them, but many are packed full of plain, boring, “stock” wallpapers that you don’t want sitting on your desktop. There are many more that are polluted even more nefariously, with adware, risky pop-ups and pop-unders, and more. That’s not the kind of stuff I’m into.

I like my web content curated. When I want to read the news, I don’t go to WSJ and NYT. I go immediately to Reddit, where the contributions of relevant news is incentivized. That way, I can count on the next guy to force feed me all of the news I want. Isn’t it beautiful? Since that formula works, why not use it for everything? While the aforementioned Reddit does have some a few really awesome wallpaper-related subreddits, that’s the obvious way to go. I’ve got more for you.

4walled

4walled, as the name casually suggests, is an aggregator that indexes all of the beautiful wallpapers posted on 4chan, the largest imageboard in the US. Yes, 4chan. You know, the evil and hateful site that once bred today’s Anonymous? It’s not so bad, overall. The imageboard’s main attention-grabber, /b/, comes attached with a filthy reputation, but they’ve got plenty of other beautiful boards where intelligent conversation is fairly common. /mu/ for music, /fa/ for fashion, and /wg/ for general wallpapers.

As you can see, 4walled is really a wallpaper search engine. Everything you’d expect is there. For board, just keep it as the default selection if you aren’t familiar or interested in 4chan. Now if you don’t know what SFW is, it’s “safe for work.” Basically, the default here is going to include nudity. You’ll probably see a lot of it if you select the default. If you’re not into any of that, select “Safe For Work”.

It’s pretty difficult to find a quality wallpaper site anymore. There’s a ton of them, but many are packed full of plain, boring, “stock” wallpapers that you don’t want sitting on your desktop. There are many more that are polluted even more nefariously, with adware, risky pop-ups and pop-unders, and more. That’s not the kind of stuff I’m into.

I like my web content curated. When I want to read the news, I don’t go to WSJ and NYT. I go immediately to Reddit, where the contributions of relevant news is incentivized. That way, I can count on the next guy to force feed me all of the news I want. Isn’t it beautiful? Since that formula works, why not use it for everything? While the aforementioned Reddit does have some a few really awesome wallpaper-related subreddits, that’s the obvious way to go. I’ve got more for you.

4walled

4walled, as the name casually suggests, is an aggregator that indexes all of the beautiful wallpapers posted on 4chan, the largest imageboard in the US. Yes, 4chan. You know, the evil and hateful site that once bred today’s Anonymous? It’s not so bad, overall. The imageboard’s main attention-grabber, /b/, comes attached with a filthy reputation, but they’ve got plenty of other beautiful boards where intelligent conversation is fairly common. /mu/ for music, /fa/ for fashion, and /wg/ for general wallpapers.

As you can see, 4walled is really a wallpaper search engine. Everything you’d expect is there. For board, just keep it as the default selection if you aren’t familiar or interested in 4chan. Now if you don’t know what SFW is, it’s “safe for work.” Basically, the default here is going to include nudity. You’ll probably see a lot of it if you select the default. If you’re not into any of that, select “Safe For Work”.

Here, I ran a search for the keyword “sunset”. As you can see, there’s nothing extra, no fillers, just awesome wallpapers. You can click them to see some statistics about the individual wallpaper and submitter, and from there save the wallpaper to your hard drive.

Social Wallpapering

Social Wallpapering has adopted that same model as Reddit, where users are able to upvote and downvote wallpapers so that only the highest-quality pieces are visible to new users.

Sign up and you’re able to vote for your favorites and upload your own wallpapers to be ranked by others. As far as browsing goes, you can sort wallpapers by their rank, by their category, screen size, or even just randomly.

Just like 4walled, you can see that it takes a really no-nonsense approach. Your wallpapers are all there in a thumbnail for you to easily preview and browse. Click one and you’ll see statistics and resolutions for all available. Contributing to the quality of the site overall is just as easy, as you can favorite or vote for wallpaper by just hovering over the thumbnail.

There’s no reason to make it harder than it should be. Social internet means we can all be freeloaders. Personally, I love when people do the work for me. It’s always nice to contribute, though! What do you think of these two websites?

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Samsung Galaxy S III coming to Telus in 16GB and 32GB flavors, pre-orders starting now

Canadian carrier Telus is now taking pre-orders for the Samsung Galaxy S III. The carrier is offering both the 16GB and 32GB versions. The former will cost you $159.99 with a minimum $50 monthly plan and your signature on a three-year contract. The 32GB handset is priced at $209.99 with a minimum $50 monthly plan and a signed three-year pact. Because the Canadian carriers are offering 4G LTE connectivity, they will be receiving the version of the Samsung Galaxy S III powered by the dual-core 1.5GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 processor rather than the model powered by the quad-core 1.4GHz Exynos processor.
Now that the most anticipated Android phone of the year is available for pre-orders in Canada, perhaps it won't be too long until we start hearing from the major players in the States. Last week, a leaked screenshot revealed that the phone will be launched in Canada on June 20th, the same date that another leak showed the device being released for T-Mobile.
source: Telus via AndroidCentral


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Apple Adds Editor’s Choice To App Store, Offers Cut The Rope For Free [Updates]

Users of the Mac App Store will notice that there’s now a new section – Editor’s Choice. It has been inaugurated with CoBook and Deus Ex: Human Revolution. This has a been a silent update, which means there’s no official announcement from Apple, but they presumably will be awarding more software this honor in the future.
Owners of iOS devices will also see some new editor’s choice selections in their App Store including Air Mail, Facebook Camera, Extreme Skater and Sketchbook Ink. Don’t expect deals, however – all of these apps are regularly priced.

There is one freebie available, though it’s not an editor’s choice. Cut the Rope: Experiments is currently the app of the week and is available for free. This is notable because it is rare for Apple to feature paid apps that have been discounted to free for a limited time. Google and Amazon have gone down this route frequently, but Apple has remained steadfast.
It’s not clear how the editor’s choice honors are awarded, nor is it clear how Apple decides to feature discounted apps. The company has not revealed this information in the past and likely won’t do so in the future. Still, more categories can’t hurt. Can it?
Source: CNET
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Why did Samsung destroy 600,000 pebble blue battery covers belonging to the Samsung Galaxy S III?

A photograph of an early version of the pebble blue Samsung Galaxy S III was obtained by mobile bulgaria.com. The picture is supposed to show white splotches on the back cover which did not meet the Korean manufacturer's high quality standards. However, the blotch is not easy to see as it is below the surface and the back has to be at an angle. While it might not jump out at you, if you keep staring at it like one of those Magic Eye pictures, eventually you will see it. Hopefully this doesn't take as long to figure out as the white version of the Apple iPhone 4 did. Apple was said to have tried a number of coating combinations in an attempt to keep the light from leaking from the white casing.
Ironically, with the Samsung Galaxy S III, it is the white version that is not affected by the manufacturing problem. Does it really matter to buyers of the Samsung Galaxy S III which color they buy? Would you change your pre-order to a white model from a blue one if it meant getting the phone earlier? Obviously it meant something to Samsung to make sure that their new flagship phone was launched without a blemish because destroying 600,000 already manufactured back covers doesn't come cheaply. Then, there is the cost to run off another 600,000 replacement covers. But it had to done because if there is one thing that you can't put a price on, it's a company's reputation.
source: mobilebulgaria.com (translated) via Phandroid

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Facebook looking to buy Opera?

Facebook has proven itself to be a strategic purchaser of companies, having paid $1 billion for Instagram just after its release on Android. After being made available for Google's open source OS, Instagram installations exploded to total more than 50 million subscribers. Now, with Facebook a public company having to answer to its legion of stockholders, the company is seeking to buy another company where it can use its large number of subscribers to make a ton of cash. One such company apparently in Facebook's sight is Oslo, Norway based Opera Software. Opera's stock soared 26% on Tuesday due to the rumors of a bid for the third party browser firm.
Opera's browsers allow for a pleasant surfing experience, even on those phones on the low end of the technology spectrum. Opera Mini uses the company's own servers to load up a web site before compressing it and sending it to a phone, thus potentially saving the user from some data charges. Over 168 million people use Opera Mini. Opera Mobile is a third party replacement for a smartphone's stock browser and uses the phone's own technology to render sites.
Investment bankers say that Opera has been up for sale for some time and said that Yahoo and Google would not be interested in the company. Other bankers said that Facebook would be interested in Opera as a way to enter emerging markets. Still, others aren't clear if a deal would end up in an outright sale of Opera or just close partnerships. One source told Reuters that while there is interest in the company, there is no "For Sale" sign on the software firm.. One thing that Operas might not want to lose is its strategic partnerships with companies like Google which it might have to drop in a Facebook acquisition of the company. Norway's top bank, DNB, says that a buyer of Opera would have to pay 68.6 crowns, or double Friday's close, valuing the company at $1.35 billion. There are other things standing in the way of a Facebook-Opera deal. Opera's founder and top shareholder, Jon S. Von Tetzchner, wants the company to focus on internal growth and says that Opera should reach 500 million users by next year. He says he is not pushing for a takeover. Still, he said he is unaware of a bid but would have to support one if others are in favor of it. One vote in favor of such a deal might come from Opera CEO Lars Boilesen. The executive last October said he would "love to" work with Facebook. Boilesen said, "We are already Facebook's platform of distribution in emerging markets like Africa and India. A big part of the Opera Mini traffic is from Facebook. So we are already their channel in these markets."
Continuing its slump, Facebook dropped nearly 10% on Tuesday to $28.84 a share.
source: Reuters
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Screen shots of Apple's new 3D Maps app leak

It appears to be an Apple-heavy news day today. After the leaking of new iPhone parts from several sources, BGR has also obtained screenshots of Apple’s 3D maps app, which is expected to debut in iOS 6 (and will presumably be announced at WWDC during the June 11th keynote address).
We’ve been reporting on Apple’s interest in creating their own mapping solution for a while now – with the success of Google’s Android operating system Apple became concerned about how much they relied on Google’s iOS apps for supplying basic features. Apple has always made the front end of the Maps app, but up to now they’ve relied on the Google Maps backend for the data.
While Apple started the project as a way to become self-sufficient, the competition for offering location-based deals has been heating up, with Google and others moving to leverage their platforms to take on GroupOn and other deals-based websites. That’s lucky timing for Apple, who will now control all of the location-based data that is collected.
Unfortunately the images captured by BGR’s “trusted source” were made in a hurry and aren’t the most beautiful things to look at, so BGR created a mockup of what to expect based on them. It appears that the app has moved from the blue theme seen in the current Maps app to the silver theme seen in the iPad, leading to the speculation that iOS6 may shift the UI towards the iPad’s aesthetic.
Also, you can see a little arrow key in the lower left corner – that button lets the user pop into or out of the 3D navigation mode. According to the source Apple is currently field testing the app now. Check out the mock up and blurry-cam snapshots below.



source: BGR
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Samsung Music Hub vs iTunes vs Google Music vs Zune vs Spotify vs other music services comparison

google music wins for everything it does have. It has constant sales on GOOD music, its free, available on any platform with a browser or android app, tons of free storage, no DRM, and the highest quality 320kb platform.
The samsung app seams like its going to be a great alternative for non US markets, especially since samsung dominates in so many of them. If it comes to the US, it will be welcomed, but will probably never be as big as iTunes or even G-Music. Of course, I welcome the ability to paruze through the other 6 million or so songs that I'm missing in G-Music.

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Use Magic Tate Ball To Connect The World Around You To A Work Of Art [iOS]

I am not typically what you would call an art guru, but every so often, I like to take a look at a painting or some other piece of art. After all, no matter what you are into, anyone can appreciate a well-done piece of artwork. You will not find me spending my weekends at the local art gallery or museum, but I can still appreciate the importance and beauty of art. Regardless of my hobbies, I am an information junkie, so anytime I can learn something new about any topic, I am happy.
While browsing around the app store I discovered this awesome app called Magic Tate Ball. It is a really cool app that “reveals the hidden connections between art and your everyday life.” That is the very first line of the apps description on the app store, and I have to say, it is fitting for what this fun application does. If you like art, and you want to connect the art with the world around you, this free app is something you should look at.

Magic Tate Ball uses your surroundings to find a work of art from their massive collection that fits with where you are and what the conditions are like. It looks at the weather, your GPS location, time of the day, ambient noise and the date.


Once it figures out these things, it will show you a beautiful piece of art that fits in with where you are. When they say that the app “reveals the hidden connections between art and your everyday life,” they mean that literally.
Of course, showing the art is fine, but let’s be honest, just looking at a work, most of us are not going to be able to deduce how it has anything to do with the world around us. Thankfully, the application will give you a brief explanation as to why it chose this particular piece for you.

It will also give you a brief description of the artists. While you are connecting with the world around you, you can also learn a bit of art history.
Using the app is easy and fun. To have it show you a painting, you simply shake your device from the main screen, as you would a Magic 8-Ball, and it will run through the process of finding a piece of art that connects with your world.

piece for you. You can leave them all on, or shut them off individually.
After you shake the device and take a good look at your custom chosen work of art, you can click the ‘why’ button to see what made it choose this piece. Right below the description is a button to share the piece on Facebook, and if you scroll beyond that, you will see the brief description of the artist.
This is a cool application for the art lover in each of us. It features art from Damien Hirst, Tracey Emin, Pablo Picasso, Henri Matisse, Claude Monet and more, so even casual art fans will know some of the artists featured. The app is available now for free, so there is no reason not to take it for a spin and see if it turns you into an art lover.

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Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 tablets also get in with free 50GB of Dropbox storage for the year

Far from being the single biggest standout feature on Samsung’s latest tablets, it seems that it’s not only the Samsung Galaxy S III getting the love when it comes to free Dropbox storage. In fact, both versions of the recently available Samsung Galaxy Tab 2, 7.0 and 10.1 models, are given new owners 50GB of free storage au gratis for the first year.
Certainly, that might pique the interest of enough people considering that it’s a hefty tally that we don’t traditionally offered with devices. Once the first year is over, however, you won’t be left out on the curb because Dropbox will still continue to give Galaxy Tab 2 owners a decent 2GB+ of storage for any free account. And if you happen to continue using the tablet for a second year, an additional 3GB of storage will be available to you.
Therefore, if you’re the type of person to store everything you own on your device, this special offering will no doubt perfectly fit your needs – as you can store it all now in the clouds. Moreover, you can use the precious amount of free storage on the Galaxy Tab 2 for something else.
source: Samsung & Dropbox via Android Authority

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As An iPhone 4S Owner, What Do You Use Siri For? [We Ask You]

Apple has recently fallen into a pattern of offering just incremental updates on its existing product line rather than anything new and innovative. Hence the Retina Display on the new iPad and Siri on the iPhone 4S. Both of which are the only features making their respective devices worth purchasing.
Siri may be the only reason worth upgrading to an iPhone 4S, but it’s also something of a gamechanger that, once used, leaves a lasting impression. The voice-activated personal assistant is one of those features that will inevitably become a part of all smartphones (whether Siri or a clone). What we want to know is how you, the average iPhone 4S owner, uses Siri.

We recently saw, via an infographic, how many iPhone 4S owners use Siri on a monthly basis, a handful of the most common uses of Siri, and some other data points related to the feature. But MakeUseOf readers know better, and we want you to detail what you use Siri to accomplish on your iPhone 4S. If you have an iPhone 4S, obviously. Everybody else can tell us how, if in possession of a Siri-enabled device, they would use it.

Do you (or would you) use Siri for just the basic, banal tasks such as making phone calls, sending texts, and searching the Web? Alternatively, do you (or would you) trust Siri to run your whole life? Much as a human personal assistant would, if you’re rich or powerful enough to employ one. Your responses will not only enlighten and entertain us all, they could spark ideas in others for ingenious uses of Siri.
We Ask You… All comments will be digested to form conclusions in a follow-up post next week where we will detail what You Told Us. One reader will be chosen as having made the coveted ‘Comment Of The Week’, having their name put up in lights for all to marvel at and to coo over. What more motivation than that do you need to respond?
‘We Ask You‘ is a weekly column dedicated to finding out the opinions of MakeUseOf readers. We ask you a question and you tell us what you think. The question is open-ended and is usually open to debate. Some questions will be purely opinion-based, while others will see you sharing tips and advice, or advocating tools and apps for your fellow MakeUseOf Readers. This column is nothing without you, as MakeUseOf is nothing without you.

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Facebook Camera Now Available For iPhone Photo Addicts [Updates]

After a turbulent week dealing with angry shareholders, the world’s largest social network has added an app called Facebook Camera to its mobile arsenal. Targeting iPhone users (but also iPod Touch and iPad compatible devices), Facebook Camera provides a photo-centric Facebook experience which includes batch uploads, image editing and a feed of recently uploaded photos from friends.
Users now can crop their photos down to size and apply one of 15 Instagram-style photo filters to their images before uploading, tagging friends and sharing. Facebook Camera also increases the maximum photo resolution to 2048×2048 pixels, which is a significant leap over the standard Facebook mobile app.

Using a simple interface, the app provides quick access to the Camera Roll at all times, and overlays a pop-up feed of latest photo posts from friends. Much like Facebook Messenger, the new app is designed to do one thing simply and effectively. The initial customer reactions on the App Store are generally positive.
Download: Facebook Camera @ App Store (iPhone, iPod Touch & iPad)
Have you tried Facebook Camera? What do you think of it? Add you thoughts and images below.
Source: Facebook

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5 Modern & Stylish Greeting Cards Apps For Your iPhone

In the age of the Internet and the iPhone, it’s probably becoming more and more acceptable to send digital greeting cards through email, text, or Facebook. Unlike the traditional paper format, digital cards can be customized using a wide range of templates and themes.
The iOS App Store has a pretty good set of free or inexpensive greeting card apps containing fresh, modern designs that fit the tastes of different types of users. Let’s check out five of them.
Browsing the greeting card designs in justWink is like walking into the Hallmark section of a department store. This free app features a nice selection of greeting cards including birthday, wedding, friendships, “bromance” and everything in between.

You can customize the messages of each flash-based card, and send them via email, Facebook, text message.

The only caveat is that the card itself is not emailed; it is linked back to your account in an envelope image sent to the recipient.

justWink is set up also for you to order actual physical cards and send by snail mail, or to pick them at one of their local stores. Nevertheless, the stylish design and the ease of personalization might prove more thoughtful than picking out a generic greeting card in the store. justWink is well worth the free download.
Red Stamp is similar to justWink, but this app allows you to actually send personalized digital cards via email, text, post, as well as paper cards through mail.

Red Stamp contains very stylish, modern designs, with a large assortment of over 400 greeting and holiday cards, invitations, and personalized stationery. Many card templates allow you to add a custom photo or two right from your iPhone Photo Library or snap one on the spot.

Red Stamp has been featured in several top media shows and publications, including O Magazine and InSyle. Even the premium paper cards are reasonably priced and are worth checking out.
For more simple straight forward email greeting cards, Email Backgrounds provides a large set of cute themes and backgrounds to choose from.

The category of cards include animals, birthday, Mother’s Day and other holidays, nature, Thank You cards. However, it’s a little cumbersome to layout a card, for you have to type and load your message, and then select your theme to add the message. So be prepared to spend a few minutes figuring out this app. The slight complexity of the app does however allow you to retain your messages and customize the font style and size to the text.

The eye catching vintage designs of Cartolina Cards ($2.99) will not fit everyone’s tastes, but this app has personality and is a fashionable alternative to plain email or text message.

Some customers have complained about the limitation of themes and the amount of text you can add to a card, but if you like the designs it may be worth the price.
The Build-a-Card: Mothers edition ($0.99) for the iPhone is limited to only a handful of templates, but it’s a straight forward, hassle free, customized digital card creation app.

You can add a photo from the camera roll or photo album of your iPhone, or from your Facebook album, type out a message, and then send your card via email, Twitter, or Facebook. Very easy.
For other greeting card ideas check out these articles:
Let us know about digital card apps you use.

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