Articles by Zek

eBooks, Reviews June 20, 2010

Kobo Android App Review

The Kobo Android app is finally out! It is the first major bookstore besides eReader to have an app for the Android platform, and it offers some major advantages, as well as some serious drawbacks. Read on for my review! First of all, there’s some benefits to Kobo’s system. They believe your book should be available wherever you are, on whatever platform you’re using. So similar to Whispersync, you can start a book on your smartphone and continue it on your computer or another device like the iPad. Unfortunately, at this time the Kobo Reader does not have any sync…

Editorials June 16, 2010

Why Does AT&T’s Android Crippling Matter?

Android Central is reporting that the HTC Aria will be getting a bit of a lobotomy. You see, AT&T apparently hates the idea of sideloading apps. Sideloading means you can add apps that are not part of the regular Android marketplace through over the air download or via the USB cable on your computer. It’s for installing beta software, or software that’s only distributed through a developer’s site, and many of these are not as obscure as you’d think… Just to give you a few examples, I was away on a business trip last week. While I was there, I…

eBooks, Editorials June 15, 2010

Will eBooks Rise from Borders Ashes?

(underlying image courtesy Unwitting Wit) Teleread featured an interesting article today from Laura Dawson, a publishing consultant. She believes that Borders is going to die, and the loss of a major bookstore chain will trigger more ebook adoption. It’s an interesting theory and it has merits, but I also think there are some reasons why it isn’t perfect. For starters, here’s a sample conversation from when I helped close the Framingham, MA Borders store back in 2005: Customer: Wow, I am so upset you guys are closing! I shop here all the time! (In my head): If you shopped here…

Editorials June 14, 2010

Does Android Need Custom Skins?

News has been leaking out over the last few days about the new Motorola Droid phones. They sound amazing, with high-end specs like a 4.3-inch screen, 8-megapixel camera, even HDMI out. Unfortunately, it looks like Moto is also going to be slapping MotoBlur on these phones, and that’s a huge disappointment for me. It’s not that I think stock Android is the greatest thing since sliced bread. To be honest, it’s far too plain for me. But I fix that with home replacements. I’ve tried several and for now have settled on LauncherPro. It’s simple, it’s customizable, it doesn’t slow…

Reviews June 12, 2010

Belkin Dualfit Armband As a Droid Case

Since there are no specific Droid armbands, I had to get creative to find a way to carry my bulky phone while I run. A bit of google-fu led to some posts over on Droid Forums about iPhone and iPod Touch cases holding the Droid reasonably well. I’ve been using a Belkin Dualfit for the last few weeks. How does it stack up as a Droid case? Read on to find out! First of all, the Droid is a heavy phone. It’s fine when you’re carrying it in a pocket, but on your arm, you definitely notice the weight right…

eBooks, Editorials June 7, 2010

MyPadMedia Just Won’t Quit

We’ve warned, exposed, and ranted about myPadMedia, but they just won’t stay down! The latest from them shows they’re just getting more brazen as this saga continues. First, I received this email from manybooks.net over the weekend: Hi Carly, I’ve just read your article exposing myPadMedia’s mis-use of Feedbooks.com, and I think they’re doing the same thing to manybooks.net If you still have an account with myPadMedia would you mind logging in to see if that is the case? I had a few emails from folks yesterday asking for refunds, and if I’ve guessed correctly then I may have blocked…

News & Features June 7, 2010

Wall Street Journal Fans the Flames of Malicious App Paranoia

Know how you can tell smartphones and app stores are truly mainstream? No, it’s not because my mother just bought a Blackberry! It’s because the Wall Street Journal is writing articles on apps, and that <gasp> malicious apps have been creeping into the smartphone space. I am being a bit tongue in cheek; the Wall Street Journal is, as always, fairly even and conservative in their tone: As smartphones and the applications that run on them take off, businesses and consumers are beginning to confront a budding dark side of the wireless Web. Online stores run by Apple Inc., Google…

News & Features June 5, 2010

Android and the iPhone 4 Announcement (NSFW)

Well, it was only a matter of time after Steve Jobs made his infamous “If you want porn, buy an Android phone” comment…but there’s officially a youtube parody of the iPhone 4 announcement, which features dancing robots singing that the Android phone is for porn (like the Avenue Q song “The Internet is for Porn”.) It’s not suitable for work, but it is quite funny! And for your viewing pleasure, the Avenue Q song “The Internet is for Porn”: Via AndroidCentral

eBooks, Editorials June 4, 2010

Are eBooks Hitting a Critical Mass?

I recently read the book “Too Big to Fail“. In it, there’s a discussion of the treasury department’s “Break the Glass” plan. Essentially, they had a few analysts put together a “what if the whole world melted down at once” thought experiment, so they could be prepared for the very worst case scenario. As it turns out, they used that paper as a very loose blueprint for many of the actions taken in the latter half of 2008. I sincerely hope the publishing industry has a similar plan in place because it’s looking like they might need it. “The Girl…

eBooks, Editorials June 2, 2010

MyPadMedia: The Truth, The Whole Truth, and Nothing but the Truth!

Judie purchased access to myPadMedia yesterday. After a few minutes of exploring the site, one thing became very clear: I owe myPadMedia a huge apology. See, several weeks ago I mistakenly called myPadMedia a “scam”. This implied they were engaged in a business that doesn’t deliver books legally; as it turns out, that’s technically not true. If you purchase the $49.95 membership, you will have access to legal content, but the delivery process has basically been stolen from another site. So clearly I was mistaken, and as it turns out I was just one word off. myPadMedia isn’t a scam…

eBooks, Editorials June 2, 2010

MyPadMedia’s Secret Exposed!

After a recent escalation of the tensions between myPadMedia and Gear Diary, Judie bought access to find out what the real story is behind this company. We will have a full report later today, but here’s the biggest bombshell: MyPadMedia is selling you access to the free eBook site Feedbooks. Yes, you read that right! But you can access myPadMedia’s “catalog” of ebooks for free, and without paying their ridiculous $49.95 fee, by heading to Feedbooks.com, a wonderful free website of self-published and public domain works. Even better? Feedbooks didn’t authorize this! This morning we had a very enlightening email…

eBooks, News & Features June 1, 2010

Best Buy Steps up Their eReader Marketing

When I was in my local Best Buy this weekend, I spent some time exploring their ebook reader displays. A few months ago I was in Best Buy and noted the extent of their eReader display was a sad shelf of Sony Readers. Not terribly exciting, and worst of all it was off at a weird angle, sort of tucked away from the main aisles. If you didn’t venture through the middle of the store you wouldn’t find it. Now that Best Buy is selling the Barnes and Noble nook, it’s a whole new ballgame. They cleaned up the Sony…

Reviews May 31, 2010

Buddy Runner for Android Review

I carry my Droid on every run so I have a phone with me. Since it’s already with me, I use it to track my pace and distance on my longer runs. There are a number of sports tracker apps in the Android marketplace but I keep going back to using one in particular, Buddy Runner. Buddy Runner is super simple. When you first start the app you are greeted by a simple landing page with a start button. Hit start, then hit the road (or trail)! If you like updates on how you are doing as you go, you…

eBooks, News & Features May 30, 2010

New eBook Readers Coming This Summer?

Looks like this might be the summer of ebook readers! Rumors are flying about new Kindles and nooks, the Kobo reader is hitting Borders Stores, and that’s without considering the impact all the potential Android tablets will have on the reader market. While there’s been some ebook rivalry so far, I think this next wave of readers is where the B&N-Amazon-Borders-Tablet rivalry is really going to get heated. Engadget caught an interesting FCC filing for a WiFi-only ebook reader from Barnes and Noble. Most likely it is the rumored “nook lite”. No word on whether it will be the same…

News & Features May 29, 2010

Sling for Android Is Almost Here!

I’m in the process of deciding how to rework my home tv setup. At this point it’s a matter of when, not if, my TiVo will die…and as I’ve said before, I don’t really see the value of upgrading to another TiVo. Since I’ll be reworking my whole setup anyway, the thought crossed my mind that a Slingbox might be fun to have. Now that I’ve seen Engadget’s preview of Sling for Android, I DEFINITELY want a Slingplayer! It looks really slick, even if it did have some beta bugs, and I am sure it will look great on the…

Reviews May 29, 2010

Sirius XM for Android Arrives

Rejoice, satellite radio fans! Sirius XM is now available for Android. It comes with a 7-day trial if you are not already a satellite radio subscriber, and from my brief experience today I don’t plan on becoming a subscriber in the future. First of all, you need a great deal of patience to parse out the subscription options. Sirius doesn’t share what the options are for subscribers unless you log in as an existing customer, but they do assure you there’s a “discount” for internet listening (looks like it is $2.99 ON TOP OF your existing Sirius subscription). Of course,…

eBooks, Reviews May 26, 2010

Simply Audiobooks Review

Audiobooks are expensive. If you’re an audiobook addict, you could easily find yourself blowing some major cash trying to keep up with books on your commute. Sure, there’s the library, but then you run the risk of late fees. And services like Audible.com are pricey, and may not be compatible with your chosen phone or mp3 player. Enter Simply Audiobooks. Essentially, it’s a Netflix-style service for audiobooks. You can check out several books at a time and keep as many as you want queued up. Is it the perfect solution for audiobook fans? Read on and find out! When you…

eBooks, Editorials May 24, 2010

Who Needs an eBook Editor?

(I want to live here.) Welcome to yet another State of the eBook! First of all, the results of last week’s poll are in. Apparently, most of you are bigger ebook fans, with the vast majority voting for “eBooks first!/What’s a paper book?” Guess it isn’t TOO surprising, considering the subject of this column… This week, the big ebook news was that Barnes and Noble debuted “PubIt!”, their self-publishing arm. This brings them into direct competition with Amazon, as well as smaller companies Smashwords and Feedbooks, plus the vanity paper book publishers looking to break into the ebook markets. Basically,…

eBooks, News & Features May 22, 2010

More Kindle for Android Details!

The lucky guys at Android Central got their hands on a demo of Kindle for Android, and it looks amazing. If you watch the video, there’s a brief force close (oops!), and a demo of some of the settings. Highlights for me were the ability to change the background colors and a brightness slider; when you’re dealing with a bright, high-resolution screen, being able to adjust how you view an ebook is a must. After watching the video, this makes me want Kindle for Android now! Summer can’t come soon enough…note to Amazon: I’ll be traveling in June and July,…

News & Features May 20, 2010

Skyfire Introduces Skyfire Rocket

Skyfire already turned smartphones on their sides when they created a browser that played flash video. Even on a tiny screen, being able to watch full episodes of tv shows and other flash based video is a big convenience when you are on the go. But if you don’t want to use Skyfire’s browser, or your device doesn’t support Skyfire, you’re stuck. Not for long, though, if Skyfire has anything to say about it. They are working on a product that will let manufacturers use the best parts of Skyfire, like the video capabilities, but overlayed on a device’s native…

News & Features May 20, 2010

Dear Gear Diary: Windows Marketplace Issues

I received this email from a Gear Diary reader, and unfortunately, I don’t currently have a Windows Mobile phone. If anyone can help him out, please offer suggestions in the comments! Hi Carly, I always check out your posts on Gear Diary and find your perspective refreshing and honest. Since you are so involved with researching different techie toys and have a lot more background information than I, I was wondering if with your post on Mobile 6.0-6.1 Marketplace, if you found or encountered stories of this not loading and allowing one to buy apps. I have a T-Mobile Wing…

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