iPad Users Can Now Display PowerPoint Presentations

Brainshark, a company that creates software for online and mobile video presentations, has created a great new app for iPad users. The app, SlideShark, gives iPad users the ability to professionally display PowerPoint presentations from their tablets, and the best part is that it is free!

There have been some issues associated with users importing and viewing PowerPoint presentations on their iPads. Mostly, there have been problems keeping the original formatting of the presentation. Well, with SlideShark, all of those issues are eliminated.

Users are now able to upload their PowerPoint presentations to their online accounts on SlideShark’s website. There the presentation is converted to an iPad viewing format, and then, using the SlideShark app, users are able to download and view the file on their iPad.

"The iPad is supporting business mobility like never before," said Brainshark CEO Joe Gustafson. "At the same time, and as the mobile workforce continues to grow, the need to present PowerPoints on the iPad is becoming more critical. We're pleased to offer the SlideShark app to resolve this issue—allowing mobile sales, marketing and training professionals to present their business content both reliably and effectively, and helping companies maximize productivity."

The best thing about SlideShark is that it preserves all of the original fonts, graphics, colors and formats of the PowerPoint presentation. Users with an iPad 2 are then able to connect their tablets to a TV or VGA projector in order to project the presentation. SlideShark also has the ability to support gesture. This means that users are able to swipe or tap the screen of their iPad to control the presentation being projected.

"As more and more companies make tablet investments, it's important they do so strategically—with a game plan for how they'll use the devices," said Scott Nelson, managing vice president, Gartner Research. "It often comes as an unpleasant surprise—particularly for salespeople and others in the field—that there's not a simple way to convert some collateral material that they rely on. Addressing this market need will help companies maximize their technology investments and enable business professionals to be even more agile and effective when presenting on-the-go."

Source: PCMag - Slideshark Brings PowerPoint to iPad

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The Daily- A Subscription News App for iPad Users

On Wednesday, February 2 at the Guggenheim Museum in New York City, Rupert Murdoch, the founder, chairman, and CEO of News Corp., unveiled his newspaper called The Daily that is just for Apple’s iPad.

"In the tablet era, there's room for a fresh and new voice," Murdoch said. "The iPad demands that we completely reinvent our craft."

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Murdoch went on to give a nice little overview of the new digital newspaper. He said that The Daily will feature close to 100 pages of brand new content each and every day in six different categories: news, sports, gossip and celebrity, opinion, art and life, and apps and games. iPad users that are interested in the paper can subscribe to the publication and decide whether they want to be billed each week for $0.99 or each year for $39.99. This comes down to about $0.14 a day. Once users have subscribed to The Daily, the publication will be automatically delivered to their iPad each and every morning.

"No million dollar presses, no trucks, and we're passing on that savings to the reader," Murdoch said.

The digital newspaper from Murdoch is really a fantastic idea, and not only does it provide a green newspaper solution for iPad users, but also it features bonuses like HD video and 360 degree photos. Users will be able to navigate through The Daily via a carousel at the bottom of the newspaper.

There were many different notable names at the event that was held on Wednesday. A few of these names included Apple's head of Internet Services, Eddie Cue; The Daily's Editor-in-Chief Jesse Angelo; and News Corp.'s Chief Digital Officer Jon Miller.

"It's the first national daily news publication built from the ground up for the iPad," Cue said.

The newly featured subscription for The Daily breaks new ground for the iPad. The new news app from Murdoch is one of the very few apps for the iPad that has a model. Most consumer magazines do have an app for the iPad, but barely any have a subscription model; however, Cue says that this is all about to change.

"[Subscriptions are] available today on The Daily," Cue said. "You'll hear an announcement from us soon for other news publications."

The Daily features content covering a variety of different subjects. Miller said that the digital newspaper is a very important tool to tell stories.

The Daily has been highly anticipated for a while now. Before Steve Jobs, Apple’s CEO, left on a medical leave, he was supposed to appear with Murdoch to reveal The Daily at an event at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art on January 19.

Obviously, that didn’t come about. The new launch was confirmed on Thursday, January 27 when invitations were sent out to journalists.

Reportedly, the delay with the release of The Daily was so that News Corp. and Apple could work out all of the kinks surrounding the subscription platform. News Corp. did confirm the delay but did not seem interested in expanding on any further reasons for the delay.

Murdoch said that, despite the absence of Jobs at the event, Apple’s CEO "has been a champion behind The Daily since day one."

While the delays with The Daily were going on, the 100-member staff of the digital newspaper, which includes journalists from publications such as The New York Times, The Atlantic, and Forbes, was hard at work. They have been working to produce mock versions of the issues for an exclusive email list of 1,000 readers.

So, right now, The Daily is solely for the Apple iPad, but this won’t last forever.

"As other tablets get established, we will develop the tech to go on them," Murdoch said. "We will be on all the major tablets."

Murdoch did add though that this will most likely not occur for another few years.

If you’re interested in The Daily app for the Apple iPad, News Corp. is offering a trial offer that you can download for a free subscription for the next two weeks.

This is definitely a really cool idea, and it will be interesting to see if digital newspapers for tablets become a growing trend.

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Apple Sued Over Privacy Issues

Apple is being sued by a California man due to the privacy issues with some of their apps.

Jonathan Lalo filed a complaint in the U.S. District Court in San Jose, California on Thursday, December 23, because he says that Apple produces devices that give access to ad networks to allow them to track a user’s app activity without the consent of the user. The complaint that Lalo filed mentions names like Pandora, Paper Toss, The Weather Channel and Dictionary.com.

Lalo claims that this ad network tracking occurs on Apple’s iPhone and the iPad, and it allows the networks to see which applications people are downloading, how often they use them, and how long they are using them. Lalo also claims that both iPhones and iPads feature a Unique Device Identifier (UDID), a number that is specific to that device, which users cannot block, alter or delete.

According to the suit, the UDID "is now being used by ad networks to track Plaintiffs and the Class – including what apps they download, how frequently they use the apps, and for how long. Some apps are also selling additional information to ad networks, including users' location, age, gender, income, ethnicity, sexual orientation and political views."

It continues saying that due to this, Apple and the app developers both “invaded their privacy, misappropriated and misused their personal information and interfered with the operability of their mobile devices." According to Bloomberg, the suit claims that it is seeking justice on behalf of all of the Apple iPhone and iPad users who have downloaded an app between December 1, 2008 and last week.

"None of the defendants adequately informed plaintiffs of their practices, and none of the defendants obtained plaintiffs' consent to do so," one plaintiff of the lawsuit alleged.

So far, Apple has made no comment concerning the allegations.

Issues over privacy have been prevalent of late. Just last week, there was an article in the Wall Street Journal that discussed how mobile apps send certain information out without the user’s consent or knowledge and that the use was “widely and regularly” practiced by companies. The article focused on a study that examined 101 different mobile applications. It found that iPhone apps gave out more personal information without a user’s consent than Android apps did.

The Journal also included a list of the “leakiest” apps that included Pandora, Paper Toss, and TextPlus 4. These apps send out information including age, gender, ZIP codes and user IDs to several different ad networks. The information that is released the most often, which is usually either sent back to the app manufacturer or sold to an ad network, is the device’s UDID because this information allows companies to see what the owner does with his or her device.

The article in the Journal spurred the Mobile Marketing Association to decide that new, more specific privacy guidelines need to be devised that inform consumers about what information is being released to advertisers and how it is being utilized.

Right now there are two separate suits going on. One deals with the
iPhone, and the other deals with the iPad. A partner in the Fears & Nachawati law firm and the attorney of one of the complainants Majed Nachawati said that he would not be surprised if at some point the cases were consolidated into one case by the judges that are presiding over the cases.

Nachawati also said, "We are also looking at Google's Android platform and a lawsuit against them has not been ruled out.”

After these privacy issues have been made known to the public, there now seems to be a growing concern about users' privacy on social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter.

Despite the filing of the two separate lawsuits, some experts are predicting that the court cases will not be successful.

In April Apple did amend its developer agreement to ban all apps from sending user data to third parties unless it was information that was directly necessary for the functionality of the app.

The lawsuits say though that Apple really hasn’t taken any steps to implement or enforce the changes that they have made due to the criticism that they received from advertising networks.

Trip Chowdhry, a research analyst for Global Equities Research, said that he does not think that the lawsuits will have a big impact on investors.

“If this were a major issue, all web browsers would have to shut down and there would not be any advertising on the Internet,” Chowdhry said.

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Why You Should Never Be Without Your iPhone...

Public and online polling has revealed that the general public truly believes that the iPhone is the ultimate travel tool. The iPhone allows individuals to stay informed, connected, and entertained. A creative consultant who commutes weekly from NYC and London, Felicia Tumaneng, said, “I wouldn't be able to leave the country without it.”

The iPhone is the best electronic guide available right now. Here are some of the ways that you can use your iPhone as the ultimate travel guide.

In the Car
One of the great features is the new TomTom App for the iPhone. It features “navigate-to-photo,” turn by turn directions, and rush hour and traffic alerts. The TomTom App turns your iPhone into a fantastic GPS system. It is available for $39.99.

The useful GasBook app is available at the Apple store for $0.99. This app offers you the most up-to-date gas price listings at stations nationwide. It also includes a fuel log that will keep track of your vehicle’s fuel stats. This is a very convenient app to have on your iPhone.

Trapster is another great app to have in the car. It is the perfect app for those individuals who might drive a little on the speedy side. This app alerts users when they approach speed traps, red lights, speed cameras, police check points, accidents, and other roadway hazards.

At the Airport
FlightBoard is another amazing app to have on your iPhone and is available for $3.99. It gives you an interactive view of over 4,000 airport and 1,400 airline boards. You can view either the arrival or departure board from basically any airport in the world.

The FLYSmart app is free and is geared towards individuals traveling within the United States. This app allows you to not only track flights but also find restaurants, bathrooms, and clubhouses in airports across the nation.

Bored and Need Entertainment
There are thousands of games available for the iPhone at the Apple apps store. One of these incredibly entertaining games is Words with Friends. It is a game that is essentially Scrabble. It is a great game to exercise your mind and waste some spare time when you’re bored.

Recently an app was released that allows subscribers to watch TV on their iPhone. PlayOn is available for $40/year and allows users to watch Hulu, ESPN, Netflix, Comedy Central and lots of other channels right from their smartphone.

Need a Bite to Eat
There are plenty of restaurant locating apps that are available for the iPhone. Yelp is free, UrbanSpoon is free, and Local Eats is only $0.99. These are all great apps that will help you locate any kind of restaurant you want no matter where you are.

Want to Make a Payment?
You can easily pay your bills with your iPhone. Apps like MobilePay USA allow users to make payments directly from their phones. Users simply enter their account information online. The card’s information is not stored in the phone, and a PIN number is required to access the information online. It is a safe and secure app that can be very useful at times.

These are just a few of the incredibly useful travel apps offered for the iPhone. There are plenty more that can be found at the Apple apps store. It is definitely true that the iPhone is the best possible travel companion. It can assist you with so many of your travel needs. So before you walk out the door, always make sure that you have your iPhone with you.

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Rent Your Textbooks with Your iPhone

Summer is coming to an end, and school is getting ready to start back up. If you’re looking for a way to save some money this school year, Chegg.com is there to help you. Books can be extremely expensive, but with the new app from Chegg.com, you can search for books, compare book prices, and actually rent the books right from your portable device.

This is a free app that is available for your iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch. It gives you the exact same experience as the Web site does. Students can search for books by title, author, or ISBN. You can also scan the barcodes on books, compare rental and retail prices, rent books, extend or purchase your rentals, track shipping, or find the nearest UPS location.

This app is so convenient. The moment you get your class syllabus you can start renting all the books that you need. It’s just one more thing that can help make the school year run a little bit smoother.

Right now you can use the coupon code MOBILE when you check out to get 10 percent off of all your rentals and purchases in August. To download the app, check out chegg.com/mobile.

Looking for more great apps? Check out the top 10 free apps for iPhone.

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HelvetiNote App for iPad: Best Note Taking App Available

The iPad is a fabulous piece of equipment that is useful for many things including: checking your e-mail from the comfort of your bed, watching a movie on a long flight, or simply entertaining yourself on the subway. You are most likely fascinated with vast amount of state of the art applications this sleek little device provides. You may also find yourself quite disappointed in the performance of the note taking app that comes standard with the purchase of your iPad in comparison to the other apps your iPad provides. That is why Apple has been working to bring you their newest note taking app, HelvetiNote.

The Standard note taking app that comes with the iPad is somewhat useful, but it seriously lacks in note taking features. HelvetiNote is much more efficient. It is set up to get the thoughts out of your head and onto your iPad. The app is simple in its functionality and is aimed to replace the Notes app on your iPad with its smart, elegant, Helvetica-font-oriented interface.

HelvetiNote is an incredibly simple app to use. To begin creating a note you simply tap the screen and type away. The process is both quick and straightforward, and the app works in both landscape and portrait mode. Portrait mode allows you to view more of your note as you jot down your thoughts. However, if you like having more room to type, you would certainly opt for the landscape view. It offers a nice roomy keyboard and still allows you a view of your note that’s just not quite as generous as portrait mode.

While you are typing out your note, you can choose to have the toolbar open on the screen or hidden away. The toolbar includes a search field, an option to add new notes, and a button to hide the toolbar. The toolbar also displays all of your created notes, cataloged in chronological order. When the toolbar is hidden, the note itself takes over the whole display. The background takes on the appearance of a lined piece of notebook paper and places the title that you have chosen for the note at the top.

One of the most attention-grabbing features of HelvetiNote is its sketch mode. Located in the upper right hand corner of the display screen are two little buttons that permit you to toggle between text input and sketch. While in text mode you can type away your thoughts, then at a touch of a button you can flip over to sketch mode and draw out a diagram within your note. Sketching is quite simple you just use your figure and you can sketch anywhere in your note. If you make a mistake, no need to worry you simply tap the eraser or press a button that will remove the entire sketch without causing any harm to your text.

One of the biggest disappointments about HelvetiNote is that the text doesn’t recognize a sketch and will type right over top of a drawing. Likewise, you can sketch over text. It would have been nice if Apple could have made it so text was aware of the sketch and could avoid it on its own, but overall it is a small inconvenience.

Another let-down about HelvetiNote is that it doesn’t sync apps with your desktop or any other service. This didn’t really bother me but some people did find it disappointing. However there is a button in the lower right hand corner to e-mail your notes.

Overall HelvetiNote is an excellent note-taking app. It’s well designed, easy to use, and has lots of great features that make it very enjoyable to work with. It’s perfect for taking notes in meetings and classes or just jotting down your thoughts when inspiration hits. Also, it’s an excellent value from the Apple store at only $2.99.

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