Olympics on the Go

As the entire world knows, the Olympic games are currently underway in Beijing. We’re all trying to keep tabs one way or another. If you own an iPhone, you can point your browser to iOlympics, an iPhone webapp site with information on the games, news, tv schedule, etc. It even has a nice countdown of when the games will end.

Via iPhoneFan

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iPhone 2.0.1 Available

Apple has released version 2.0.1 of the iPhone firmware. It is available through iTunes for those who want to update their iPhones. One thing I noticed is that it doesn’t mention specific fixes, it simply says “bug fixes”.

I have already updated my iPhone to 2.0.1 and so far so good. One fix that I’ve noticed so far is in the address book. Before, there would be a couple of seconds lapse between the time you selected the search field and when the keyboard would pop up. This is fixed with this update and the keyboard is immediately available and search is fast and responsive.

Nokia and Microsoft Working Together?

Going through my Google Reader just a moment ago, I was taken by surprise when I read on Engadget Mobile that Nokia and Microsoft might be working on integrating the Zune Marketplace into some of the Finnish phone maker’s handsets. My first question was “is this going to co-exist with Nokia’s own  Music Store?” While still not launched in the US, it is expected to be at some point.

Then I thought that the Zune Marketplace is more than just a place to download music. Other types of content can be had from the Zune Marketplace, i.e., tv shows, video podcasts, etc. In my opinion, it would certainly be interesting and would give consumers more choices, which is always a good thing.

Let’s keep in mind that this is still just a rumor and nothing has been confirmed. Still, it’d be interesting to see what others think about this.

ShoZu Now on iPhone….

Well, on July 11th, to be exact. That’s right, ShoZu has announced that their official iPhone application will be available on the iTunes App Store and will be a free download. This is certainly welcomed news for me as an iPhone user and even better since I am considering the iPhone 3G.

Check out the video.

ShoZu Adds MMS Capabilities

ShoZu has now added the ability to upload your photos or videos to up to 30 multiple destinations with one single MMS. This is great if you upload to several sites such as Flickr, Facebook, YouTube, Kodak EasyShare, MySpace, etc. Taking advantage of the new capabilities couldn’t be simpler. You simply set up the list of preferred services or destinations. From there, any picture or video you send to go@m.shozu.com is automatically delivered to ShoZu’s servers and then forwarded to your preferred destinations.

I’ve always enjoyed ShoZu on my S60 devices but my current device is the iPhone so this is welcome news to me. I have been emailing pictures to Flickr but now I can simply send one email and the picture will get forwarded to several sites. Great and it saves me time!

SAN FRANCISCO, CA (November 20, 2007) – Do you want to send the latest snapshot from your camera phone to your Flickr album, Facebook page, personal blog and best friend’s email simultaneously without creating multiple messages for every photo or video clip as well as paying for each upload? ShoZu Inc. today announced a new picture messaging/MMS service offering this mass publishing ability for every media-enabled handset, bringing its core technology and industry-leading integration with 30 social media sites to every phone for the first time.

Jaiku+Google

Well, well, well….the surprise of the day for me is when I received an email announcing Jaiku had been acquired by Google. I don’t think anyone saw this coming (at least not as quickly) and the Jaiku people kept it pretty quiet. Big congrats are in order for the people at Jaiku for all their hard work and innovative service.

Jaiku is by far my favorite SoNet right now and the one I use more than any other.

From the official release:

Exciting news: Google has bought Jaiku today.

What does that mean? First and foremost, we’re of course continuing to support our existing users. So fear not: your Jaiku phone, the Web site, IM, SMS, and API will continue to work normally.

That said, new user sign-ups have been limited for the time being. The idea here is to enable our team to get right to work with Google’s engineers on delivering a new, better service to you as quickly as we can instead of spending our efforts on optimizing the current back-end. Existing users will still be able to invite their friends, and those who are not yet on Jaiku can send us a request for an invitation to join.

PressDisplay Now On All Macs

A little while back, I wrote about PressDisplay and its availability for the iPhone. Well, I just received word from Gayle Moss at Newspaper Direct that the service is now available for all Macs using the Safari browser, which of course includes the iPhone and the newly announced iPod Touch.

PressDisplay can now be accessed on all Macs (and on iPhones and the iPod Touch) with the Safari browser. So now you can view many of your fave newspapers right in the palm of your hand. Even newspapers from other countries. (A complete list of over 500 newspapers can be viewed at PressDisplay.com.)

And not just pale imitations of these newspapers, either. PressDisplay.com offers exact replicas of these newspapers, with smart navigation that takes you from the end of a column to its continuation on another page (for example). You can email an article, or insert it into your blog and add your commentary. You can translate articles on the fly or listen to them. There’s also a Monitors feature that notifies you whenever a keyword is mentioned in any of the newspapers in the PressDisplay.com system. And for those who like to download, disconnect and go, there is a beta release available of the PressReader for the Mac as well.

It’s just like having the print edition, only with a whole lot more going for it and no messy newsprint fingers. Check out a couple of short videos that show you how it all works on the MAC and iPhone.

As a bonus…new users can register using offer code Safari and get 1 month FREE unlimited access. Give it a try – I think you’ll really like it!

FREE to try for a month, nothing to lose.  Below is a video demonstration of the service on the iPhone.

Jaiku 0.80 Released To Public

A couple of days ago, I wrote about Jaiku and the then soon-to-be-release private beta for S60 handsets. On Friday, the Jaiku team released the client to the general public. It can be downloaded from here.

I encouraged anyone to download and use this mobile client. I had the priviledge of being part of the private beta program and can tell you that I am a Jaiku addict now. I can’t see myself without it 🙂

The Jaiku team has done a tremendous job with the development of this client. Big kudos to them!!

Bizarre: Alter Your Fingers For An iPhone

Now, we all come across crazy stories on the internet, but this one is just beyond bizarre to me. A Colorado man, Thomas Martel, went under the knife to alter his fingers so that he could improve his typing on his iPhone.

“From my old Treo, to my Blackberry, to this new iPhone, I had a hard time hitting the right buttons, and I always lost those little styluses”.

The technique is called “whittling” and consists of doctors making a small cut in each finger, then shaving off the bones and adjusting the muscles and fingernails to fit the new thumb size. Now tell me if this is not bizarre! Do you love your gadget that much to even consider this?

Via: Engadget Mobile

Update 8/11: This story is not true. It is a satire.  Link to Snopes.com piece.

Nokia and Microsoft PlayReady DRM

Reports are indicating that Nokia has signed a deal with Microsoft to license the company’s PlayReady DRM technology. It appears PlayReady will be a part of upcoming devices (S60 and S40) beginning in 2008. Now, all of this seems to be undeniably linked to Nokia’s plans to get into the online music business. A big announcement of sorts is expected on August 29.

Via: Engadget Mobile