This morning, at the BlackBerry World conference in Orlando, Florida, RIM announced the forthcoming availability of a native Facebook application for its PlayBook tablet computer. Since no specific launch date was given at the time, it was expected the app would roll out at a later date, perhaps later in the week. Instead, we were pleasantly surprised when Facebook app appeared in the BlackBerry App World marketplace later this afternoon.
Like the PlayBook itself, this tablet-optimized version of the social networking site has room to improve, as there are still a few bugs and kinks to work out. But at least RIM can finally claim a high-profile app for its woefully app-lacking tablet - and this time, it's an app the iPad doesn't have.
If you've ever used craigslist before then you know, it's just not very good. That's not to say you can't find what you need on there. The site is full of amazing deals and goods and services of all kinds, but navigating it involves opening new browser tab after browser tab, going back and forth and generally losing your way.
For those of you who are tired of the craigslist user experience from circa 1996, head on over to craiggers, the site that lets you interact with Craigslist the way you ought to.
City-jumping, history-loving, smartphone-toting nerds are getting a fun new tool for Android and iOS today. Location discovery app It Happened Here has updated its catalogue today to bring rich information to users in New York, Los Angeles, Washington, D.C. and San Francisco.
It Happened Here shows users interesting factoids about locations close to them. Kicking it in Georgetown in D.C. and want to see the infamous stairs that Father Karras threw himself down at the end of The Exorcist? The app uses Google Maps and will show a pin with your location and a pin for the nearest events around you. Just follow the map on your phone and you will soon find yourself standing at the bottom of the steps of cinematic lore.
My wife and I thought that once we bought a house, our love of looking at homes for sale would be over. Turns out it's just plain fun to look inside, at the backyards, around the neighborhoods and at the prices of houses available for purchase. I enjoy it, at least, and if you do too - you should check out the free iPad app released by Realtor.com this week. (iTunes link) I think it's my favorite in the field. I wish we'd had it when we bought our house in Portland, Oregon.
There was a time in the United States when anything that called into question moral clarity, the black and white of a clear perspective on right and wrong, was deeply distrusted - if not actively shut down. Seeing the world through other peoples' eyes was considered not an essential act of empathy but a slippery slope into drug use, homosexuality and communism.
Fortunately, brave pioneers of intellectual freedom helped us bust out of the 1950's and begin to appreciate the world in all its rich and painful complexity and subjectivity. As of today, with the launch of News.me on the iPad - there's now an app for that. (iTunes Link) A collaboration between the New York Times and the data wonks at URL shortener Bitly, News.me shows you the news from other peoples' perspectives - and other people are very different from ourselves! I have found it quite appealing to use for the last several months - it's been one of my very favorite ways to learn about the world using my iPad. Even before launch, hundreds of publishing partners are intrigued as well. It's a strikingly new model for both users and publishers.
"It's clear that the future of media consumption is tablets and mobile...if there's anywhere to be experimenting as a company, it's in the acceleration of content off the desktop. It's a whole new world and now we need new tools." So says Doug Imbruce, founder and CEO of Qwiki, a mostly-automated multi-media content creation system that today launches what Imbruce calls its true potential, unleashed: Qwiki on the iPad (iTunes).
All I've wanted to do since seeing it is spend time wandering through this app. It's fabulous and it's just beginning. If the company can execute its plans then this is going to be some seriously disruptive stuff. Some people hate Qwiki; those people will pay a high price for their cynicism - they'll miss out on one of the most enjoyable information consumption experiences to emerge in some time.
How many times have you left the house only to find yourself caught, meeting all the right people, without a business card in sight? Suddenly, you're scratching down your email address and phone number on a scrap piece of paper and you never hear from them again.
It's a problem we've seen approached in a couple different ways and today, we'll show you one more, with an app called Cardcloud that we think solves a basic problem the others don't.
When it comes to traveling, I'm a terrible planner. Figuring out the logistics of going from one place to another leaves me flustered and frustrated to the point that I avoid planning at all costs. For my next trip, however, I'm going to give Plnnr a try.
Plnnr asks you for a couple simple preferences and a location and puts together a full itinerary for a trip to any of 18 cities around the world.
Last year, when a friend and I went to buy our first iPhones, the first thing we went out and downloaded was Bump - the app that lets you share simply by bumping your phone into another one. It seemed like magic. At the time, however, it was only meant for sharing contact information and it soon made its way to the back of our app screens before eventually disappearing off our phones.
These days, Bump is much more than simply a magic app to share your phone number and email address and today we got a chance to sit down with Bump co-founder and CEO David Lieb to talk about where the app has gone and where it's headed to next.
Wildly popular public radio show This American Life has released an app for the iPad (iTunes link). The app was built by the Public Radio Exchange, the same organization that built the fabulous Public Radio Player iPhone app two years ago.
How is the iPad app? It's ok. It's certainly worth the $4.99 it costs, if you're a fan. It's a great way to listen to archives of the show. I can't help but be disappointed though, to see that it's read-only. There's no way to discuss the content with other members of the listening community. Can you imagine how great it would be if text or even audio comments could be submitted, enjoyed and maybe voted up or down in an app like this? There's so much potential here to augment the official content with discussion from topic experts and everyday people. Making the app another method of broadcast instead is disappointing. None the less, it's a good app that makes it easy to consume great media.
