Top 50 best free iPhone apps 2011 Part II

26. Tube Map
At its most basic, Tube Map is a London Tube map on your device, for free. In landscape, even the ads get out of your way, which is rather nice. And if you've a web connection, the app also provides live board info, a station finder and a route calculator.

27. Google Earth
"Hold the world in the palm of your hand," says Google about Google Earth, which enables you to fly across the planet by swiping your finger. More integration with content and features from Maps would be good, but Google Earth's Wikipedia articles and a Panoramio layer at least ensure it's a great app for seeing the world from your living room.

28. XE Currency
XE Currency is a fine example of an app that does what it needs to, without fuss. You configure a list of currencies, and it shows current conversion rates. Double-tap a currency to set its base rate or to define values for custom conversions.

29. Shazam
Shazam is an app that feels like magic when you first use it. It's deceptively simple—hold your iPhone near to a music source, and wait while the app listens and tells you what track is playing. But the sheer technology behind this simplicity is mind-boggling, and while Shazam doesn't always guess right (and only allows five 'tags' per month for new users, unless you upgrade to the paid version), it's worth a download.

30. Bump
Another contender for the 'surely, that's witchcraft?' award, Bump enables you to select up to four contacts, then 'bump' your device into another iOS device running Bump to transfer details, or to compare contacts. And, yeah, we know there's an email-based 'share contact' option in Contacts, but where's the fun in that?

31. Yell.com
As you might expect, Yell.com enables you to find local stuff. Select from a bunch of built-in categories or type in your own term for a list of local amenities, and use the map to navigate. Avoid the clunky augmented reality view, though.

32. BBC News
BBC News has a mobile website that works very nicely in Safari. However, when using it you'll find video isn't accessible. The BBC News app has some slightly quirky navigation (and occasionally questionable stability), but provides quick access to breaking stories, complete with playable videos and zoomable text.

33. Find My iPhone
For the paranoid souls out there (or the unlucky ones who've had their devices pilfered), Find My iPhone has now been freed from the paid version of MobileMe. Assuming you've a 2010 or later iOS device, you can set up a free account and locate your devices within seconds. (Note that older devices can also be added to Find My iPhone - you just need a recent one to get things going.)

34. Dragon Dictation
Fed up of typing on the tiny iPhone keyboard? Use Dragon Dictation instead, which happily converts your speech into text (with slightly spooky levels of accuracy for a freebie app). You can even punctuate ("Comma! Full-stop!"), and when you're done the app enables you to fire your thoughts at Facebook, Twitter, Mail or the iOS clipboard.

35. iHandy Torch Free
It's a torch! It's a cheesy neon light! It's a hypnotic spiral effect! With slightly annoying ads! (In reality, iHandy Torch Free is a mostly a handy app to have installed in case you get up for a midnight snack or toilet visit, don't turn on the light and want to avoid smashing your toe annoyingly hard into an unruly cupboard.)

36. TVGuide.co.uk TV Guide
TV Guide is an app that's come a long way. At one time, this was a disappointing UK TV listings app. Today, it boasts now-and-next and scrollable listings views, reminders, and calendar, Twitter and Facebook integration. Only avoid if you hate TV or don't live in the UK.

37. Zoopla Property Search
There are loads of property search apps on the App Store, but Zoopla is the best of them. Its listings are comprehensive and there's also local market data, including local sale prices and estimates on market value. The location button is a bit rubbish, but the app soon finds properties when you manually type a location.

38. IM+
If you're an instant messaging fiend, IM+ gives you access to GTalk, Yahoo, MSN/Live Messenger, AIM/iChat, ICQ, MySpace, Twitter, Facebook, and Jabber. With multitasking and push notifications in iOS 4, IM+ has been transformed from a curiosity into a must-have freebie app.

39. Atomic Web Browser Lite
The lite version of Atomic is missing quite a few features that are found in its paid-for version, including even basic multitasking support and content resumption on reopening the app. However, for times where you need a single-session browser that automatically dumps everything on exit, such as when buying gifts, this is a handy app to have installed.

40. Virtuoso Piano Free 3
Virtuoso Piano Free 3 won't turn you into a virtuoso, but it's a perfectly serviceable mini piano. You can amend the number of keys shown on screen, and buttons enable you to rapidly navigate the full keyboard. You get two built-in voices for playback, to which you can add variable levels of sustain.

41. TuneIn Radio
Don't bother buying a DAB radio - just install TuneIn Radio instead and plug your device into a set of speakers. TuneIn Radio has a great interface for accessing over 50,000 digital stations; it also has AirPlay support, and you can use it as an alarm clock.

42. 4oD Catch Up
Technically, more like '4oD Catch Up With A Specific Chunk of Channel 4's TV Shows Only' (no archives yet in the iPhone version); also 4oD Catch Up lacks subtitles and AirPlay support. But it's free, unlimited, and gives you a month to catch up with Channel 4's programming on your device.

43. Jamie's Recipes
More a gateway drug for the tasty treats of Jamie Oliver, this IAP-infused app nonetheless flings ten freebie recipes your way and a few videos. The interface in Jamie's Recipes is lickable, and there's a handy shopping-list feature, for those of you who don't fancy arriving back home after fighting the crowds in the supermarket, only to find you accidentally picked up 500 lemons and forgot the chicken.

44. Instagram
Take a photo, smash a filter into it, and upload it. Instagram's service is now used by millions of people to share nuggets of visual loveliness, and the app itself is a pleasure to use, and also to browse during moments when you're not feeling quite so inspired.

45. Google Translate
Assuming you're online, Google Translate is a great app for translating text between 57 different languages; handily, 15 of the most popular also enable you to speak into your device and listen to translations. It's also considerably cheaper and more portable than 56 translation staff.

46. iMotion HD
We say a big PFFT! at CGI. Real animators use stop-motion, until they inevitably go crazy at only being able to craft about three seconds of footage per week. iMotion HD enables you to create such painstaking animations with your device.
The sting in the tail: a £1.49 IAP for export, but if you don't care about that, you can play your creations on your device to your heart's content. There's also the free iMotion Remote to use as a remote controller over Wi-Fi for iMotion HD, to avoid you accidentally moving your 'camera'.

47. TED
TED is brain food. The app provides access to talks by insanely clever people, opening your mind to new and radical ideas. You can also save your favourite talks locally, for even easier access, or ask the app to inspire you, based on your mood and available time.

48. Remote
The remote for Apple TV is a bit of a joke when you need to do anything more than play or pause. Remote is a free app which provides much better control and the ability to stop yourself going mad when typing things into search fields. It'll also happily use Home Sharing to pull content from computers on your network to your device, or fire said content at your Apple TV using AirPlay.

49. Skyscanner
Skyscanner's a great website, which enables you to punch in airports and find out the cheapest way of getting from A to B. The Skyscanner app is the same, but it's on your device and with a spiffy AI. Well worth a download, even if only to check flights for an upcoming holiday.

50. Apple Store
Apple fans with a lack of self-control should steer clear of the Apple Store app, which enables you to buy shiny Apple products directly from your device, and also to locate your nearest shrine of tech loveliness (aka Apple Store).

Bluetooth Keyboard for the BlackBerry PlayBook Review

I was recently sent a Bluetooth Keyboard for the PlayBook by The Next Success and TotallyTablet. A Bluetooth keyboard is coming officially from RIM, and it’s great to see Next Success bring one to market this fast. I’ve used the keyboard for over a week and this review breaks down whether it’s a good investment.

The Bluetooth keyboard for the PlayBook by Next Success comes as a case with a built-in keyboard. The keyboard is charged via Micro USB and pairs to the PlayBook like any other Bluetooth accessory would.
Some of the great things about the Next Success keyboard is that the keys are made from rubber so that when your PlayBook screen rubs against them, your screen won’t get scratched. The case that surrounds the PlayBook also feels like it’s fairly good quality and the stand that props the PlayBook upright is at a nice angle.
The typing experience on the keyboard is pretty solid and the letters register on the screen quickly. There isn’t as much feedback from the keys as you would want though. It feels as though the keys are hollow rubber, and because of this the typing experience takes some getting used to. Compared to the virtual keyboard on the PlayBook, if you have any significant amount of typing to do you’ll love this keyboard. Writing emails, documents and completing forms with the Bluetooth keyboard was significantly faster.
The major criticism I have of the Bluetooth Keyboard is that the case that the PlayBook sits in didn’t take into account the gestures that are used by the PlayBook. The leather cover hides the bezel which is integral to the PlayBook experience. If you’re browsing multiple apps, you will want to swipe from the far right to the center, or from the bottom to the center. This is difficult with the PlayBook case and hurts the user experience a bit.
It should be interesting to see how this Bluetooth Keyboard compares to RIM’s official one that launches in “early 2012″. If you’re someone who is on the road a lot and you’re looking to make your PlayBook a laptop replacement, this is a great solution.

2011'S Best Gadgets

Tablets



Among the more impressive rivals to the iPad is BlackBerry’s 7.6-inch PlayBook (pictured; $500;blackberry.com), arriving this spring. However, its rich touch-based experience uses a proprietary operating system that’s likely to keep its price tag high; by adopting the Android 3.0 system, other manufacturers will be able to offer better values. Among the first is Motorola’s Xoom ($600; motorola.com), which sports dual-core 1GHz processors, front and rear cameras and a 10.1-inch screen. Expect even more stripped-down models to appear from a multitude of sources—AOC says it will offer a $200 model—as tablets try to move netbooks to the bin.
 
 
 
Televisions

 
By reducing bezel width to just 0.2 inches, Samsung added an extra inch of viewing area to its D8000 (pictured) and D7000 LED televisions (samsung.com), out this spring, without increasing the overall size of the sets. But the real test of a TV these days is its ability to pull content from the Internet. By the end of the year, to accompany its Viera models, Panasonic (panasonic.com) will start offering four- to ten-inch tablets that can access various online resources, from streaming video to e-books to social networking—and they double as secondary screens.
 
 
 
Cameras
 

 
A boxy shape has been a hallmark of camera design since the earliest days of photography, so the outside-the-box thinking behind Casio’s Tryx camera (pictured; $250;casio.com), coming in April, is refreshing. Its basic elements—lens, screen and body—swivel and flip into almost any position, then fold back into a compact half-inch-thin frame, while a sensitive 12.1-megapixel CMOS sensor, a wide-angle 21-mm lens and HD-video capability promise quality images. Meanwhile, new cameras like the Olympus XZ-1($500; olympusamerica.com) are taking the best features of big digital SLRs and putting them into compact boxes that are easy to tote. The XZ-1 features a superfast wide-angle lens and large, light-gathering CCD sensors usually found in more expensive SLR models.
 
 
 
Cars
 

For its next generation of cars, Audi(audi.com) aims to transform the driving experience with a raft of innovations, relying largely on a new mobile processor called Tegra that generates high-resolution graphics quickly. Drivers will be able to program the car’s instruments to display a variety of information: Arrows indicating direction will get larger as a turn nears, for example. And the car itself will be able to maintain an Internet connection that supports up to eight devices being used by passengers.
 
 
 
Eyewear

 
PixelOptics’ futuristic emPower glasses ($1,200; pixeloptics.com )have lenses that are covered with a transparent layer of liquid crystals whose molecular structure alters as needed for viewing either near or far. For reading, the wearer taps the side of the frames and an electric current reorients the crystals, changing the refraction of light as dictated by the prescription. The wearer taps again and the lens goes back to its standard setting, for seeing into the distance. Miniature chips, accelerometers and batteries make the changes noiselessly and quickly.
 
 
 
Headphones(bud model)
 

 
Noise-canceling headphones certainly help to make airplane travel more tolerable, but in an age where every ounce of carry-on luggage counts, their bulky size has become a liability. Sennheiser solves the space and weight problem with its new CXC 700 earbuds ($230; sennheiserusa.com), whose innovative three-position button suppresses different ranges of frequencies
 
 
 
Headphones

 
Noise cancellation is also a feature of Andrea Electronics’ Superbeam headphones ($130; andreaelectronics.com), available this June, but the real attraction, especially for Skype users, is the elimination of the boom microphone extension. Instead, microphones embedded in the housing pick up spoken words like tractor beams while disregarding extraneous noise.
 
 
 
 
TV-PC Hybrid
 

 
The major benefit of Lenovo’s 21.5-inch B320 ($700; lenovo.com ), available in June, is its versatility: It works as both a PC and a high-definition TV, and it’s relatively easy to toggle back and forth between modes—or access both at once using the picture-in-picture capability.
 
 
 
 
Athletic Gear



Compare yesterday’s run with today’s using the Nike+ SportWatch(from $200; tomtom.com), a collaboration between Nike and TomTom, coming out in April. Working in conjunction with Nike’s running-shoe sensors, the watch tracks location, time, distance, pace and calories burned and keeps a record of past performances, all data that can be downloaded to a PC. It also sends reminders about your next scheduled run and gives you a virtual pat on the back if you beat.
 
 
 
 
Security System

 
Home security doesn’t get much simpler than this. The Vue Personal Video Network (vuezone.com)comprises a collection of small, battery-operated cameras installed indoors and outdoors. With full panning and zooming capabilities, the cameras can be controlled and checked remotely from a computer or a smartphone; motion activation also sends a picture alert. A basic two-camera setup lists for $270; each additional camera runs $100. There’s also an annual service fee of $20 (the first year is complimentary), and a broadband network must be in place
 
 
 
 
Mobile Phones
 

 
The Android operating system for mobile phones is on the rise, breathing new life into mobile phone offerings from companies that rival Apple. Case in point: Sony Ericsson’s new Xperia Arc(sonyericsson.com), coming this spring. Like most Android phones, it has Google Maps and access to a wide array of apps. It also comes with a large 4.2-inch touch screen and a versatile 8.1-megapixel camera with software for easy uploads. But what’s really amazing is how thin it is: just 8.7 millimeters, or roughly a third of an inch
 
 
 
Speakers
 

 
Klipsch is already well known for its high-quality horn-loaded speakers, which are components of the company’s new Gallery Studio Media System (pictured; from $400;klipsch.com). Due out this fall, the system connects wirelessly via WiFi and can be controlled using an Apple iPad or iPhone. Also this fall, McIntosh Laboratory, another high-end American audio manufacturer, plans to introduce an amplifier-speaker combination (from $2,000;mcintoshlabs.com).
 
 
 
 
Driving
 

 
Any driver who has ever nodded off during a long trip or drowsily veered into another lane knows how scary those situations can be. Developed in Denmark, the Anti Sleep Pilot($200;antisleeppilot.com)  is a dashboard-mounted device that monitors fatigue, relying mainly on periodic alertness responses that require the driver to touch the device, and also tracking personal data, driving conditions and car speed (thanks to a built-in accelerometer). When fatigue sets in, the Anti Sleep Pilot issues both visual and audible alerts that signal it’s time for a break. An app, for use on a dashboard-mounted iPhone, is also available for $20.
 
 
 
 
Communication

 
Instant messaging, SMS, Skype, email, Facebook: The newly updated VoxOx (voxox.com) desktop program puts all those modes of communication into one manageable window so that staying up-to-date with friends and colleagues no longer requires checking multiple devices In addition, VoxOx offers a bevy of other communication tools, including on-the-fly translation of e-mail. The only charge is for outbound texts, faxes and calls.
 
 
 
 
Smart Appliances

 
Are you smarter than your washing machine? That’s a question you may ask yourself after checking out Maytag’s Maxima (from $1,600;maytag.com), which uses algorithms to determine how much detergent is necessary and precisely when to add it for maximum cleaning. A decade ago, washing machines used upward of 40 gallons per cycle; the Maxima only needs 11.5. When paired with its companion dryer, the Maxima uses 48 percent less energy than models
 

visit http://visionkode.blogspot.com/2011/12/incredible-top-20-future-gadgets.html for top 20 gadgets.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Microsoft, Nokia, Motorola And RIM To Battle Google Over Indoor Location Market

Indoor location positioning looks poised to be the next hot mobile service with its ability to enable smarter mobile offers and more accurate local searches. Google has an early lead but an analysis of patent filings points to a number of technology companies fighting for supremacy in this emerging space
 
 





It has always been difficult to accurately track a person’s location indoors. Since GPS is a satellite-based system, devices require a “line of sight” to satellites to operate. GPS generally does not function indoors and is particularly weak in large, enclosed spaces like shopping malls, museums and big offices.
One solution is indoor positioning, which works by analyzing radio signals from cellular antennae and/or Wi-Fi hotspots or by tracking a device’s movement through sensors such as gyroscopes and compasses. Google recently brought indoor positioning out of the labs with the late November release of a “My Location” feature in Google Maps. Google says the feature, which is currently only available on Android phones, can track a user’s location within several meters in select malls and airports.

Though Google was the first to debut indoor positioning, other companies have been developing similar technology for years. A new report from technology research firm Grizzly Analytics rated five companies (Google, Microsoft, Nokia, Qualcommand Research In Motion) as having “mature” indoor positioning research. The New York-based firm ranked the companies by the breadth of their research and the number of years they’ve been working on indoor positioning, said founder Bruce Krulwich in an interview.
Of the five leading companies, Krulwich sees Microsoft and Nokia as the most likely to challenge Google in indoor positioning. He expects Microsoft and Nokia to launch a service sometime in 2012, perhaps tagged to Microsoft’s “Tango” Windows Phone update. Both companies have significant experience in indoor positioning. Microsoft has researched how to determine location using special radio beacons as well as by analyzing Wi-Fi signal strength. It has also experimented with what Krulwich calls movement tracking. That involves tracking a device as it moves away from a known location, such as a door to a building (which can be pinpointed via GPS because it is outdoors).
Beyond its research, Microsoft holds granted patents in indoor positioning. Krulwich counted at least five Microsoft patents related to determining phone location using wireless access points, radio beacons, device movements and other radio signals.
Nokia’s indoor positioning work is equally sophisticated with patents going back to at least 2006. In September 2006, Nokia filed a patent on “Direction of Arrival” detection. That strategy leverages ultra-wideband (UWB) radio technology to estimate location. In fall 2007, Nokia also filed three patents related to determining location via Wi-Fi signal strength.
Over the years, Nokia has publicized some of its indoor positioning research, such as in this 2009 video and this Nov. 2010 demonstration at its Nokia World show. In April 2011, Nokia released a demo video that shows an integrated outdoor/indoor navigation system. In November, in response to Google’s Google Maps update, Nokia stepped up publicity about its research and revealed it is now using Bluetooth beacons instead of the older ultra-wideband technology.
Given their resources, Krulwich believes that if Microsoft and Nokia pool their mapping assets, as they have pledged to do in upcoming Windows Phone devices, they could offer the industry’s strongest indoor positioning service. “Both have made such investments in this area, they would have a leg up if they can get a combined system out to market,” said Krulwich.
Krulwich was also struck by the indoor positioning research conducted by wireless chipmaker Qualcomm and BlackBerry maker RIM. Since 2010, Qualcomm has filed at least eight patents related to indoor positioning, including work touching on Wi-Fi hotspot triangulation and motion tracking via sensors. Krulwich believes Qualcomm is investing in indoor positioning because it plans to incorporate indoor location features in its cellphone chips – perhaps motion tracking abilities in its sensor processing chips and signal triangulation in its radio frequency (RF) chips.
RIM also has a number of indoor positioning patents. Krulwich counted at least eight, including five granted patents, filed between 2005 and this year. Like other companies, RIM’s research looks at location derived from Wi-Fi hotspot and cellular antennae signals. It also covers mobile services based on indoor positioning, such as location-based reminders and location-based device control. Unlike Google and Nokia, RIM is not closely associated with indoor positioning because it has yet to launch these features on its BlackBerrys. “The question is whether RIM will get them to market and in a way that will complement their [core strengths],” noted Krulwich.
Of the five indoor positioning leaders, Google may actually have the fewest patents. Krulwich examines just two Google patents in his report and both are only patent applications. One concerns the collection of Wi-Fi data to approximate phone location while the other looks at ways of deducing location by sifting through user activity data such as calendar entries and location-based search history. (Google’s ‘My Location’ maps feature appears to be based on the triangulation of cellular antenna and Wi-Fi hotspot signals — a relatively generic approach that uses standard device capabilities, said Krulwich.)





Despite its lack of patents, Google is clearly interested in this field. Its research division has published several articles on indoor positioning and the company has also funded academic research on the topic.
Google will gain additional resources through its(pending) acquisition of Motorola Mobility. Krulwich calls Motorola’s indoor positioning patent portfolio “considerable” though most of it was established years ago. In his report, Krulwich identified six Motorola patents, some filed as early as 2001. The patents cover Bluetooth-based indoor positioning as well as positioning derived from radio signals and light modulation.
The most significant Motorola patents, however, deal with inertial navigation, a kind of motion tracking that utilizes sensors to measure movement from a known location. When Motorola filed its inertial navigation patents (around 2002), those sensors were rarely found in cellphones. They have since become commonplace, though, and Krulwich believes this approach could be lucrative for Google once it finishes its Motorola acquisition. Krulwich also thinks inertial navigation could be a more accurate way to determine location than radio signals since signals can be distorted by a user’s surroundings.
And what of Apple, the other major power in mobile operating systems and devices? The iPhone and iPad maker appears to have little intellectual property in indoor positioning despite having introduced location-based reminders in its iOS 5 operating system update. Apple did file two patent applications in 2009 that relate to the logging and analysis of a device’s location using Wi-Fi, cellular and radio station signals but Krulwich noted that these approaches are similar to ones outlined by Microsoft and other companies. “Apple’s research in this area is fairly weak – surprisingly so,” said Krulwich.
Apple may be developing something noteworthy in secret. It has acquired several location technology companies since 2009, including Placebase, Poly9 and C3 Technologies. Apple has long been rumored to be working on its own mapping and navigation so it can replace Google’s services on its devices.
Krulwich expects all these companies, along with Samsung, Sony and others, to refine their indoor positioning offerings, either through additional research or by acquiring one of the few startups specializing in this area. Indoor positioning offers too many advantages for mobile technology companies to pass up, he contends.

Once the technology becomes common, users will be able to locate friends in malls and museums; merchants will be able to target shoppers within their stores; and advertisers will be able to serve up hyper-relevant offers to consumers. For technology companies, that could mean increased device sales, revenue-share deals and marketing partnerships.
Indoor positioning also has the potential to be creepy, as shown by the recent outcry over two malls’ plan to track holiday shoppers’ cellphones. Krulwich said indoor positioning would differ from that setup because it would be an opt-in feature users controlled on their own phones rather than something imposed by a mall operator.
“This area is set to explode,” Krulwich posited. “It’s the logical next step for what people are using phones for.” It is also a market that is still open. Though Google has a first-mover advantage, Krulwich said the strength of other companies’ patents – particularly Microsoft and Nokia –makes it “likely someone else will come out with something better.”