Siri Sparks Apple vs. Android Debate

the rabid Android robots and fanatic Apple fanbois are at each other’s throats again: this time the bickering is about Siri, the talking artificial intelligence engine baked into iOS 5 and running on the dual-core A5 chip in the new iPhone 4S.

Android fans claim their phones have had several Siri-like apps since the beginning of time, or thereabouts. Edwin and Speaktoit spring to mind. Android 2.2 also has Voice Actions, which, like Siri, lets users speak messages (rather than typing them), search the Web, make notes, and, most notably, receive voice turn-by-turn navigation (which Siri does not). Google plans to update Android’s voice input engine with Android 4.0 on the new Samsung Galaxy Nexus.

Apple fans counter that the iPhone also had voice-command functions prior to the iPhone 4S, but the iPhone and Siri will do something Android hasn’t been able to do: make voice input and response a standard way of interacting with the phone.

See: Apple’s Siri vs. Android’s Voice Actions: Feature Showdown

Before Siri was baked into iOS 5, it was a popular iPhone app. Fire it up, and Siri would give directions to the nearest coffee shop or gas station, find restaurants, show movie times, among other Web-related tasks. But Apple spent millions to acquire Siri last year because Steve Jobs saw its potential as a full-blown artificial intelligence engine that, when baked into the OS, could access task apps.

for iPhone owners who don’t have the Siri app, a slimmed-down version of a voice-activated control system has been available. by holding down the home button on the iPhone 3GS, you can gain access to the system – holding down the home button on the iPhone 4S brings up Siri – and give it limited commands, from playing songs to calling someone on your contacts list.

I don’t know about Android users, but I rarely used the Siri app and the voice-activated control system.

While the Siri app offered a glimpse of the possible future, an early version of the Star Trek computer, it just wasn’t practical. you had to wait for the app to launch and then could only ask very basic questions. I used the voice-activated control system on occasion to make a phone call or play a song, but found it didn’t have enough functionality or ability to understand native speech.

Bottom line: I often forgot that the Siri app and voice-activated control system were even on my iPhone. My guess is that many Android owners share similar experiences.

Enter Siri. I’ve only had the iPhone 4S for a week or so but have quickly become a Siri power user. Mind you, I was very skeptical at first, given my lackluster experience with the Siri app and voice-activated control system. moreover, the first day Siri was bogged down with all the newbie iPhone 4S users hitting the service.

Siri eventually won me over because of the enormous number of tasks it can handle. by far, the best tasks are the reminder function and the ability to input calendar items.

I probably ask Siri to remind me about something or put an appointment in my calendar at least twice a day. I’ve used the GPS-enabled feature of the reminder function only once – as in, “Remind me to pick up sushi after I leave work” – but just knowing it’s there is a bit of a thrill. I soon realized that I had been subconsciously avoiding typing appointments in my calendar because it took so long.

now I find myself asking Siri to do more things, including basic tasks. for instance, I almost always use Siri to play songs, albums and playlists, and to make phone calls to people in my contact list. Once, I quickly needed a two-minute timer when grilling steaks, and Siri started the timer in mere seconds.

Here’s a hidden use case: when having trouble spelling a word, you just ask Siri. Siri will repeat your question in text form before having to “think about that” and searching the Web. But the text already gives the answer, of course. It’s a great spellchecker.

Not everything, though, should go through Siri. for instance, I don’t dictate text messages to Siri. My mind just doesn’t work that way. I tried Siri a few times and ended up rambling and stuttering my way through. Punctuation was off, too.

Once Siri gets you hooked for, in my case, reminders and calendar items, you’ll begin to rely on it for other tasks and new ones you hadn’t even considered. Apple knows how to set the hook.

Siri had to be lightening quick, thus the need to run on A5 and have fast network speeds – all in the iPhone 4S. Siri also had to be able to make sense of the mutterings and ramblings of native speech. Apple avoided having too many failures that would put off users, either by Siri taking too long or being unable to recognize the question or task.

the other part of Siri’s success has to do with its access to a range of apps and functions (reminder, calendar, clock, contacts, Safari, notes, phone, messages, etc.). Like a networking effect, more functions increase Siri’s value and use. this is why Siri couldn’t be a standalone app but built into iOS.

to all the Android fans claiming Android phones had Siri functionality first, the truth is that it doesn’t matter. Android was unable to move voice-activated control into the mainstream. on the other hand, the magic of Siri lies in iPhone owners using voice-activated control regularly, which will breed familiarity and change the way people interact with computers.

Peugeot 508 GT

PEUGEOT has become best-known for its smaller cars – the 207 and 308, for example – with some SUVs as an aside. But the larger end of its portfolio has long been uninspiring.

Remember the 407? does anyone want to? What then of its successor, the bigger 508?

VALUE at $52,990 the topline GT has no shortage of gear – quad-zone filtered climate control, sunblinds for the rear and rear-side windows, parking sensors front and rear, hill-start assist, an electric parking brake, reach and rake adjustable steering, alarm, folding and heated exterior mirrors, and auto-dipping rear-view mirror.

The GT also gets the little head-up display screen with colour output, keyless entry and go, cruise control with speed limiter function, satellite navigation, a top-quality eight-speaker audio system with Bluetooth and USB connectivity, controlled via the slightly busy leather-wrapped steering wheel, and 18-inch alloys, not all of it standard.

Leather seats with position memory are a $2500 extra. Satnav with head-up display is $1500, or $2300 with audio system upgrade – that’s pretty cheeky in a $50K plus car, even one as well loaded as this.

TECHNOLOGY top of the list is the high-pressure common-rail direct injection turbo diesel engine, which shrinks to 2.2 litres (the outgoing V6 is 2.7 litres) but gains 10Nm and improves fuel consumption to 5.7L/100km, a 33 per cent reduction. The GT rides on a double-wishbone front-end (instead of the MacPherson strut for the rest of the range).

DESIGN this is a big car – it’s 92mm longer in the wheelbase than its predecessor. when it comes to looks, for some it’s a like, for others a "yikes".

Certainly striking, the 508 sedan has a sculpted shoulder line that extends through the snout, which carries the new-look family styling. The rear is squared-off and almost abrupt by comparison, with tail-lights in LED form to stand out.

Its cabin is more conventional, with more than enough room for four adults – at 190cm-plus, I was able to sit behind my own driving position. Seats are comfortable if not overly endowed with lateral support. there are heaters for the fronts and the driver gets a massage function.

The audio has USB and Bluetooth connectivity, although when running an iPhone’s music player (on a USB cable or via Bluetooth) the delay from dash button to track change often means two or three are skipped.

The telephone side suffers none of these issues and is easy enough to use through the car’s infotainment system.

The satnav is clear and relatively easy to use, as was the centre trip computer display – unlike many cars with such screens, the Pug has a speed readout, which was a handy adjunct to the head-up display screen that flips into place on start-up.

The boot is not that deep but useful at 497 litres and the 508 makes do with a space-saver. to open the boot, you’ve got to press the "0" in 508. Slightly risque, very French.

Something the bulk of French cars do well is the rear child locks, a simple button that does door locks and windows, leaving the driver in control – too many window lock buttons remove all control and keep the driver’s switches out of play.

SAFETY The 508 earns a Euro NCAP crash rating of five stars and has an array of active and passive measures. These are augmented by pre-tensioners on the front seat belts and load-limiters on the fronts and outer rears. there are faster reacting LED tail-lights, automatic adaptive bi-xenon headlights and rain-sensing wipers, front and rear fog lights, tyre pressure sensors and daytime running lights.

DRIVING The first challenge is negotiating the busy centre stack – it’s got plenty of gear and the top-spec GT’s myriad buttons and menus aren’t always the easiest to decipher.

The GT-only front end gives it a willing nose for corners and the body is well-controlled. Anyone looking for more compliant ride quality will have to forgo the sportier front-end, as well as losing out on the frugal diesel, which claims a combined figure of 5.7L/100km and averages single-digit returns in real-world driving.

The pay-off for the gruntier engine is in-gear acceleration on part-throttle – peak torque of 450Nm is a solid chunk from a little powerplant. The six-speed auto works well enough with the engine, although the gated shift is not as easy to use as some.

VERDICT some will love the looks, others will be pleased there’s an alternative to the Germans who dominate the compact prestige market. The 508 GT could have been more engaging but the Gallic lion has something to roar about. It’s well-equipped, a welcome and positive step back into the market for Peugeot and it’s worthy of genuine consideration. at a glancePeugeot 508 GT 2.2L HDi sedanRating: 3.5 StarsPrice: $52,990Warranty: 3 years/ 100,00kmResale: 45 per centService Interval: 12 months/ 20,000kmEconomy: 5.7L/100km; 150g/km CO2, tank 72 litresSafety Equipment: 6 airbags, ABS, EBD, stability and traction controlCrash rating: 5-starEngine: 2.2-litre 4-cyl turbo diesel, 150kW/450NmTransmission: 6-speed auto, front-wheel driveBody: 4-door, 5-seatDimensions: 4792mm (L); 1853mm (W); 1456mm (H); 2817mm (WB)Weight: 1540kgTyre Size: 235/ 45R18, space-saver spareWe love: Mid-range torque from frugal engine, audio system, comfort and steeringWe Loathe: Grumpy gated shift, rear headroom, busy centre stack———-Others you may like:Ford Mondeo Titanium turbo diesel hatchRating: 4 StarsPrice: $46,990+Engine: 2.0-litre, 4-cyl turbo diesel, 120kW/340NmTrans: 6-speed automatic, front-wheel driveBody: 5-door hatchThirst: 6.2L/100km, 165g/km CO2’One of the best all-rounders for ride and handling’Volkswagen Passat 125TDI sedanRating: 3.5 StarsEngine: 2.0-litre, 4-cyl turbo diesel, 125kW/350NmTrans: 6-speed twin-clutch automated manual, front-wheel driveBody: 4-door sedanThirst: 5.7L/100km, 151g/km CO2’Doesn’t have heaps of cutting-edge style but it is comfortable and frugal’Mazda6 Diesel SportsRating: 3.5 StarsEngine: 2.2-litre, 4-cyl turbo diesel, 132kW/ 400NmTrans: 6-speed manual, front wheel driveBody: 5-door hatchThirst: 5.9L/100km, 154g/km CO2’400Nm keep gearbox use to a minimum. Good road manners too’

Techniques to Obtain iPhone Components

The iPhone accessory support you to increase and improve the appear and functionality of your iPhone. Getting iPhone accessory is the necessity of the era because they assist to arrive to conditions with the eternal developments in technology. you will come across a broad array of iPhone accessories in the market. most typical iphpne components contain Cell mobile phone addresses, Bluetooth headsets, pouches, Vehicle chargers, Batteres, Faceplates, covered headsets, Wall chargers, pouches and iPhone circumstances.

You can get the iPhone according to your needs. but, how would you know that the iPhone equipment that you are getting are very good sufficient to suit your needs? How would you be assured the iPhone accessory you are purchasing are the greatest high quality products and would offer you the very best solutions?

Look into the following points to make oneself aware of the techniques to purchase iPhone components:

All the iPhone accessory are not for you. you require to know what functionalities you want in your iphone and then purchase the components accordingly. as a result, it is always advised to accessibility your demands prior to buying iPhone. you may well desire to increase your iPhones configuration, append its memory, or up grade its appearance. Primarily based on your requirements, you can get the ideal iPhone accessories.

Following examining your demands, it is usually advised to carry out particular analysis work and check out the distinct alternatives available. to complete this, you can go to different store and assess the prices and top quality they are marketing. you can also surf several internet sites, go by way of journals and examine periodical critiques to strike the greatest offer.

Most individuals get a Bluetooth-enabled headset along with their iPhone. This particular iPhone accessory enables you to hear to iPhone audio. you may possibly also want to have a car charger and an iPhone circumstance to safeguard your iPhoe. In that situation, it is always suggested to purchase iPhone accessories directly from top-rated companies. Purchasing iphone accessories from reputed companies would make certain that you are acquiring appropriate gadgets of highest high quality.

Even though your iPhone will come with a standardized dock, you might adore to get enhanced docking choices. In that instance, you can often feel of changing your normal iPhone equipment with improved designs. If this kind of is your situation, you can acquire the iPhone Twin Dock to attach a Bluetooth with your iPhone.

Conserve on iPhone equipment by acquiring at the best price tag. despite the fact that branded iPhone equipment assure high quality, you may possibly wish to preserve funds by acquiring generic versions. In this instance, browse the assortment of iPhone accessories on different internet sites.

If you location member of any on-line community, juts see your online message boards and check out the iPhone purchase and sell listings. Accurate that there exists a danger in purchasing with the on the web communities since you have no concept about who are transacting through these discussion boards. until finally you are buying from a neighborhood seller, obtaining an iPhone delivered to your spot can demonstrate to be a danger. nonetheless, there are selected approaches to check out the authenticity of your vendor.

If you find your vendor on your nearby local community forum, look at the number of posts this certain vendor possesses. This is really a wonderful implication of how lengthy this particular person is all around. If you see that the seller is around for quite a long time, you can get from him.

IPhone 5gRelated Sites : iPhone 5g

Amazon Kindle Touch Review – Watch CNET’s Video Review

Main featuresWhile it’s obvious, the biggest “feature” of the Kindle Touch is the Amazon store itself. we think Amazon offers the best online shopping experience on the Web (though Barnes & Noble has come a long way), and it’s dead simple to buy reading material and audiobooks directly on the Kindle’s touch screen. Alternately, you can buy e-books via a Web browser, and the books will automatically load onto the Kindle the next time it connects to a wireless network.

The Kindle Touch is, first and foremost, an e-book reader. it handles books with aplomb–including a host of freebie options–but it also allows you to enjoy newspapers, magazines, text documents and PDFs, audiobooks, and MP3 audio.

The most notable Kindle Touch features include:

E-book borrowing from your local library: Previously, Kindles could not be used to check out e-books from local libraries. that limitation is now a thing of the past.

Kindle Owners’ Lending Library: Amazon Prime subscribers ($79/year) are now granted free access to thousands of titles that they can check out, up to one per month.

Audiobook compatibility: unlike most readers, the Kindle is compatible with Amazon’s in-house Audible brand of audiobooks.

MP3 playback: You can drag and drop MP3s (and only MP3s–AAC and M4A files need not apply) onto the Touch and use it as an MP3 player. this function is listed under the “experimental” menu, but it worked fine for us. Music can be played in the background while you read, and the virtual controller lets you skip tracks and control volume without leaving your reading material. just be prepared for battery life to take a hit.

Read-to-Me: Another unique Kindle feature lets the device “read” the book to you. not all titles are supported–some publishers feel that this feature kills their audiobook market–and the voice has a Siri-like robotic bent. But it’s certainly a boon for the visually impaired, and can even be useful for “reading” while multitasking.

X-Ray: this new Kindle feature isn’t available on other models, and it’s limited to certain supported titles. it lets you explore, as Amazon says, “the bones of the book.” that means characters, locations, and events are explained using detailed descriptions from Wikipedia and Amazon’s crowd-sourced Shelfari service, and cross-referenced. On plot-heavy titles like “A Game of Thrones” and “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo,” one could see how the feature could be genuinely useful.

File support: beyond the native AZW e-book format, the Kindle Touch also reads TXT, PDF, unprotected MOBI, and PRC files. The Kindle is notoriously incompatible with EPUB files, but–now that library lending is supported–that’s pretty much a nonissue. (If it is, opt for the Nook Simple Touch.) HTML, DOC, DOCX, JPEG, GIF, PNG, and BMP files are supported through conversion.

Three-thousand-book capacity: The Kindle Touch offers 4GB of built-in memory, which Amazon says will hold at least 3,000 e-books. that capacity declines if you load up on PDFs, MP3s, audiobooks, and the like, but because Amazon stores all of your book purchases “in the cloud,” you can download them again at any time at a touch of the screen. That’s another reason the Kindle’s lack of an expansion slot is no big deal.

Highlights, annotations, and social sharing: The Kindle Touch lets you take notes, highlight text and see what others have highlighted, and share your favorite passages via Facebook and Twitter. Heavy note takers will definitely appreciate the virtual keyboard, and should opt for this device over the nontouch Kindle.

Long-lasting battery: Amazon rates the Kindle Touch battery at 2 months with the wireless turned off. we haven’t had it that long, but we know from experience that e-ink devices can go for weeks without recharging–though that will take a hit if you’re a heavy wireless or audio user. Like nearly all e-readers, the Touch has a sealed battery that is not user-replaceable.

Whispersync and app support: In addition to the Kindle hardware, buying a Kindle book lets you access it on a variety of other devices (iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad, Android phones, BlackBerry phones, Windows Phone 7 devices, PCs, Macs–and even other Kindles) via free Kindle apps. Whispersync, meanwhile, means you can pick up and resume a title across multiple devices at the same point. just be aware that some publishers limit the number of devices onto which you can download a book.

Two other less notable features are book lending and Web browsing. Book lending lets you “lend” titles to other Kindle users. It’s a cool idea, first pioneered by Barnes & Noble, but–again–publishers limit which books are shareable, and each title can only be lent once, and only for 14 days.

Web browsing is another “experimental” feature on the Kindle Touch. it works in that you can access the Web (we checked our Gmail and went to the New York Times’ site), but the black-and-white, slow-refresh e-ink screen just isn’t good for surfing the Web. it may work in a pinch, but anyone interested in a real Web browser should opt for a color LCD device such as the Kindle fire or Nook Tablet instead. anyone interested in saving a buck should also note that the free 3G connection doesn’t work for open Web browsing–it’s only for accessing Amazon’s site and buying content.

Conclusion

Choosing between the Kindle, Kindle Touch, and Nook Simple Touch (left to right) is no easy task.

Add everything up and it’s clear the Kindle Touch offers the most features in an e-ink e-reader, with lots of audio options, the X-Ray feature, and Amazon Prime free loaners leading the list. for many people, the audio extras won’t seem important, but for some, they’ll be a key differentiator.

On the downside, the dearth of physical page-turn buttons may be a real issue for some, especially lefties. and the Touch is a tad heavier than the superslim entry-level Kindle. But there’s very little not to like here.

Still, it’s a very close call between the Touch and its similarly priced Amazon and Barnes & Noble brethren. The choice will come down more to personal preferences than anything else. To that end, here’s how we’d suggest breaking any ties:

The entry-level Kindle is best for those who want the most affordable option ($20 cheaper) and the lightest e-reader on the market that we’d recommend. It’s great if you’re just reading books, and it’s got the hard page-turn buttons that are missing on the Kindle Touch. But don’t get it if you want a touch screen, or if you’re a heavy note-taker.

The Barnes & Noble Nook Touch is a great Kindle alternative if you want a touch screen and physical buttons–and if you want an ad-free reading experience at $99. its design is arguably a bit slicker than that of the Kindle Touch, too. But it’s a no-go if you want any audio support.

The Kindle Touch is arguably the best all-around full-featured e-ink reader–if, that is, its litany of extra features (audio support, X-Ray, Kindle Owners’ Lending Library) appeal to you, and if you’re okay with Special Offers ads. if you don’t need hard page-turn buttons, it’s definitely the best bang for the buck.

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APPSPIRE.me picks Best iPhone Apps for Halloween

[prMac.com] Austin, Texas – APPSPIRE.me, a leading mobile app marketing company, released an infographic today that lists the top 7 iPhone apps for Halloween. APPSPIRE.me personally tested dozens of iPhone apps related to Halloween and picked these top 7 based on gore, scariness, and sharing ability. The chosen apps are Pulverizer, Zombie Smash, Plants vs. Zombies, iMut8r, Scary Prank, Dead Runner, and Soul."there are a lot of Halloween-themed apps that are going to be downloaded in the next few days," said Charles Haggas, co-founder of APPSPIRE.me. "we created this list to narrow down the search for iPhone users who are in the market to download a Halloween app, and save them time from searching through hundreds of iPhone apps to find what they are looking for."Even though the apps have a Halloween theme, most of them fall into different categories. For instance, Dead Runner is a first-person viewpoint gaming app, whereas Pulverizer is a photo altering/sharing app. APPSPIRE.me made it a point to choose apps in different categories in order to reach a broader audience."we didn’t want to limit the list to any single type of app," said Haggas. "we made it a point to select apps from several categories in order to reach all iPhone users."The best iPhone Apps for Halloween infographic is currently live at APPSPIRE.me online. For more information, contact Carson Barker.

Based in Austin, Texas, APPSPIRE.me is a premiere marketing service designed to get mobile applications the maximum downloads possible. With our experience, tools, staff, and creative ingenuity, we have the ability to take a single mobile app from zero downloads per day to thousands. we have extensive knowledge in mobile application marketing, and we are so confident in our marketing packages that we offer a 100% money back guarantee on our management fees. Copyright (C) 2011 APPSPIRE.me all Rights Reserved. Apple, the Apple logo, iPhone, iPod and iPad are registered trademarks of Apple Inc. in the U.S. and/or other countries.

Carson Barker PR Manager 512-485-3016

Free Apple iPhone 3GS – Orange cashback and 20/month deal

The iPhone 3GS although not the latest iPhone is smart, savvy, inivative and extremely user friendly. the 3GS has a 3.5 inch TFT capacitive, responsive touchscreen. Additionally, the 3GS, like its younger models (iPhone 4 and 4S) runs on the latest iPhone operating system called iOS 5. This has updated and enabled users to access the latest techno savy apps and gives 3GS users a cool choice of over 3000,000 apps from iTunes Apple Store. the 3MP camera and video recording gives impressive results and you could upload videos to YouTube should you wish. the iPhone 3GS cannot multitask – which iPhone 4 & 4S can do with ease.

The iPhone 3GS make good Xmas presents for you or your family – all you need to be aware of are the best deals and these are changing day by day but the most competitive are definately online. at present such deals are being offered by all the leading service providers in the UK mobile phone market.

Orange offers an attractive £31- 24 months contract deal with an instant cash back of £100. the other benefits include free 200 minutes and 250 text messages per month.

Visit the iPhone section of the Orange website to view these deals – look for the iPhone offers.

If you don’t need so many minutes and texts then there is a cheaper, entry-rate tariff with Orange available for £20 a month for 24-months. For this you get a FREE iphone 3GS, 50 minutes/month, 50 texts/month and 100MB of data/month.

Visit the iPhone section on Orange website to view this

You get 100 minutes talk time, 5000 texts and 500MB data allowance (you will not find a better package from the other mobile phone operators). you would get less talktime with a three contract but over two years you would save £240 less the £100 cashback offered by Orange – which means you would be paying £140 more over 2 years with Orange for 100 minutes extra talktime per month.

Visit the three website to get this free iPhone deal

If you don’t want the hassle of a contract it is possible to buy a refurbished iPhone and then buy a SIM card linked to one of the network providers. An Apple iPhone 3GS in mint condition can cost about £150 – try mobilevaluer.com for a good comparison site. if you are nearing the end of a contract with a non-Apple phone, speak to your network re upgrading to an iPhone 3GS – ask for their best deal or you will consider changing networks.

Comments

yARN: Android is alright

I’ve had the opportunity to use an HTC Sensation smartphone for the last several weeks, and even more recently a member of my immediate family has acquired a Huawei Sonic. a consequence is that the way I feel about Android has changed significantly.

Those two phones are pretty much at opposite ends of the smartphone price spectrum. The Sensation is an upmarket device that launched midyear with a price in the mid- to high $800 range, but is now available in the mid- to high $400s if you shop around. It’s got a fast processor, an HD camera and a 4.3-inch quarter-HD (540 X 960) display and a bunch of other attractive features.

The Sonic is a budget model available unlocked and outright from Woolworths and Dick Smith for $188. The 3.5-inch display means it’s only slightly smaller than the Sensation, but the 320×480 resolution is substantially lower. despite any shortcomings, it seems to do a perfectly adequate job as a phone, email client and Web browser, and it has sufficient grunt to run the apps we’ve tried so far.

I’m not a smartphone user – I feel I spend too much time at my desk to really warrant buying one, and my mobile phone bill is so low that going on even the cheapest plan would increase my monthly expenditure – but I have trialled most generations of the iPhone prior to the 4S.The iPhone has plenty of nice features, especially the integration with iTunes and MobileMe/iCloud, but it’s always been unjustifiably expensive given my pattern of use. On the other hand, the reduced price of the iPod touch has tempted me to replace my ageing iPod mini. it would be useful to be able to check emails when I’m attending a conference without having to pull out and start up a notebook, for example.

But now I can buy an Android phone for less than an iPod touch, I could kill two birds with one stone. my several-years-old Sony Ericsson K700i generally works OK (though the thumbstick sometimes shows signs of old age), though it doesn’t exactly fit the image of a tech journalist. and I’ve found it is easier to carry the iPod as well as the phone than it is to manage audio files on the K700i.

I’ve replaced the iPod mini’s battery about three times, and I’m not sure the tiny screws and other components will survive another disassembly when this one stops taking an adequate charge. I therefore won’t feel too guilty about replacing an otherwise still functioning piece of kit.

The problem is that I use the iPod almost exclusively for listening to podcasts, and I really like the way iTunes deletes the episodes I’ve played from the iPod and transfers any new episodes just by plugging the device into my Mac. I haven’t found any Android software that provides the same functionality. DoggCatcher appears very useful in that it handles the download/cleanup process on the device. that would be extremely convenient except for one thing: I like to archive certain podcasts, and that’s easily done from iTunes. if you know a good way of handling this on Android, please let me know.

I’m still a little concerned that many Android apps come from developers I’ve not previously heard of, and they aren’t curated in the way iOS apps are, so my policy is to avoid very new apps on the basis that if something was dodgy about them, it’ll probably be discovered in the first month or two. I’m also cautious about updates from all but established companies for the same reason. after all, if you don’t trust Google, you shouldn’t be using Android at all.

So while Apple enjoys very high consumer satisfaction ratings (as previously mentioned, iPhone owners are more likely to buy another iPhone than Android owners are to buy another Android phone, I’m now almost convinced Android phones really are more than adequate for a lot of purposes – including mine. that doesn’t mean I wouldn’t like an iPhone, just that given my current pattern of usage I’d prefer something like the Sonic plus $600 to an iPhone 4S. or, for that matter, to keep the best part of $300 in my pocket by buying a Sonic rather than an iPhone 3GS.

Perhaps an analogy would be that while my next (used) car will probably have more airbags than the one currently sitting in the garage, it’s unlikely to have self-parking capability. I don’t decry those who want a 1080p camera, a dual-core processor or a 960×640 display in their mobile phones, but we don’t all need such high-spec devices.

Create a lightweight version of PhoneGap in Android

Takeaway: in this PhoneGap tutorial, mobile developer Kyle Miller presents some tricks about how to use WebViews in Android and more.

One of the most interesting features of the PhoneGap cross-platform framework for developing mobile applications is the javascript-to-native communication that occurs. The ability to send commands for execution in either direction is quite impressive, and you may be wondering how they do it. I’ll explain how PhoneGap achieves this communication, and show how to create a lightweight version of PhoneGap in Android. There are a couple of ways to intercept calls from the javascript, and I’ll go over all of the approaches.

Also read: PhoneGap: What app developers need to know, PhoneGap plugin vs. a native solution in Android, Set-up an environment for Android, Eclipse and PhoneGap

A couple of the possible solutions reside in the WebChromeClient class; any of the methods that allow you to capture a message from the javascript are great candidates. The onConsoleMessage, onJsAlert, onJsConfirm, and onJsPrompt methods should work in theory, although I have not tried them all. The only thing that would differ amongst these methods is how you’d trigger them from the javascript. if you wanted to use onConsoleMessage, then from the javascript you could call console.log() to pass a message through to the native side. And if using onJsAlert, all you have to do is call alert() from the javascript to intercept the message.

Another class you could use to achieve this communication is the WebViewClient class. The best choice in this class is the shouldOverrideUrlLoading method. This method will get called whenever the WebView attempts to load a new page, so you could pretend to load a new page via javascript and pass through the data you want to send in the URL.

While all of these approaches will work, I recommend using onJsAlert or shouldOverrideUrlLoading. The only reason I’d advise against using onJsAlert is that if you were trying to create a cross-platform javascript library you could also extend on iOS. I haven’t been able to find an onJsAlert equivalent for iOS, but I did stumble across shouldStartLoadWithRequest, which resides in the WebView delegate. That said, if you use shouldOverrideUrlLoading and shouldStartLoadWithRequest, you should be able to take the same javascript approach for Android and iOS. For the sake of this post, we’ll assume you’re using shouldOverrideUrlLoading.

JSON is going to be your best friend when you’re trying to communicate back and forth between the javascript and Java. if you’re not very familiar with JSON, now is the time to get a little more comfortable with it, although the JSONArray and JSONObject classes in Java, combined with a free json jquery library will make things pretty cut-and-dry.

So, from the javascript you can invoke the shouldOverrideUrlLoading method by calling:

document.location = <some_url>;

You will want to be able to identify which calls are coming from your javascript vs. which calls may be coming from other valid HTML links. To do this, pick a protocol for your app and pre-pend all message URLs with your protocol such as (assuming your protocol is ‘myapp’):

document.location = “myapp://testing”;

Next, you need to decide what kind of data structure you want to send to the native side so all requests can be uniform. I suggest sending an object such as:

var obj = { type:'<type>’, action:'<action>’, data:<data> }

where type can be something like “error” or “action,” action can be an action you want to execute, and data can be any additional data you may need to pass.

In order to convert this object to a JSON string that you can append to the end of your custom url, I find the following library very useful. It’s incredibly easy to use — all you do is pass your object to the $.toJSON function, and it will serialize the object into a JSON-formatted string:

document.location = “myapp://” + $.toJSON( <object> );

You will need to create a custom class that extends WebViewClient and overrides shouldOverrideUrlLoading inside your Android app. Below is an example:

public class MyWebViewClient extends WebViewClient {@Overridepublic boolean shouldOverrideUrlLoading(WebView view, String url) {if( url.contains(“myapp://”) ) {url = url.replace(“myapp://”, “”);JSONObject obj = new JSONObject(url);// query the JSONObject to decide what to do nextreturn true;}else {return false; // let URL go through to browser}}}

Next, you need to add a WebView to your layout XML file (such as main.xml):

<LinearLayout xmlns:android=”schemas.android.com/apk/res/android”android:orientation=”vertical”android:layout_width=”fill_parent”android:layout_height=”fill_parent” ><WebView android:id=”@+id/MyWebView”android:layout_width=”fill_parent”android:layout_height=”fill_parent”android:scrollbars=”none”></WebView></LinearLayout>

Then drop your HTML, CSS, and JavaScript resources into the “assets” folder of your project.

Finally, set your custom WebViewClient to the WebView in your layout and load the local html asset in the WebView. Below is a sample onCreate method of an Activity that will do this:

@OverrideonCreate( Bundle savedInstanceState ) {super.onCreate(savedInstanceState);setContenteView(R.layout.main);WebView myWebView = ((WebView)findViewById(R.id.MyWebView));myWebView.setWebViewClient( new MyWebViewClient() );myWebView.loadUrl( “file:///android_asset/index.html” );}

If you wish to execute a method in the javascript from the native Java side, you can use the loadUrl method on the WebView and pass “javascript:<code_to_execute>.” This can be extremely useful for providing callback methods to the javascript. You can imagine that if you were to call toString() on a JSONObject or JSONArray, you could very easily pass entire data sets back to a function in the javascript.

Now that the curtains have been pulled back, does it still seem as magical? I hope you at least learned some tricks about WebViews in Android.

Hands on with the iPhone Micro USB plug and third-party chargers

Last month, an “iPhone Micro USB Adapter” popped up on Apple’s British online store. Since then, the little plug has made its way across Europe—but not beyond its borders—and it’s not hard to connect the dots between this adapter and the earlier European agreement to make all smartphones use the same Micro USB port for charging. So far, it doesn’t look like Apple is going to stop including a power adapter with its iPhones in Europe, but even at Apple’s prices (£8 in the UK, €9 elsewhere) the Micro USB plug could be a somewhat cheaper alternative to buying a an additional charger or cable for those who already own one or more third-party chargers.

iPhone Micro USB adapter

The Micro USB plug is very small: just as wide, half as tall, and twice as thick as an SD card. It allows an iPhone be connected to a Micro USB cable instead of the traditional 30-pin connector. The plug supports both syncing and charging, and it’s listed as compatible with the iPhone 3G and later. 

We took the plug for a spin using an iPhone 4 and and a Blackberry charger, and for good measure, tested a few other chargers and charging methods as well. Charging times varied somewhat, and one charger failed to charge the iPhone at all.

How did things get so complex?

As it turns out, USB power is fraught with hidden complexities. It is generally understood that a garden variety USB port will deliver 500 milliamps at 5 volts, but there are circumstances where a USB port can’t deliver 500mA (for instance, when an unpowered USB hub sits between the device and the host). in those cases and before the USB data connection has been configured, a device may only draw 100mA. This is the reason that iPod and iPhone manuals all say to connect the device directly to the computer and not to the USB port on a keyboard, which is only meant to power a mouse. To make matters more complex, Apple computers younger than about four years old make it possible for devices to ask for additional power above the standard 500mA.

Implementing a good deal of USB communication logic just to provide more than 100 milliamps worth of power can add unwanted complexity and cost. As a result, some older and/or cheap devices don’t bother with this: the devices simply assume they can draw 500mA, and the chargers are capable of delivering at least that. Ignoring a few corner cases, such as low-powered ports on hubs or keyboards, this works well with devices that need 500mA or less. The trouble is that smartphones have big batteries, and charging those at just 500mA is a lengthy affair—the original iPhone, which has the same charging chip as the fifth-generation iPod, takes 3.5 hours to charge.

To address this issue, the USB Implementers Forum came up with a detailed specification for USB-based battery charging. a charger that follows this specification simply connects the USB data lines together over a resistor. The iPhone (3G or later) or other portable device detects this and knows it’s OK to draw as much as 1500mA.

Testing time

That’s the theory, and below are some experimental results. in each case, we start with an iPhone 4 with a dead battery. 3G is turned on, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth are turned off and the phone isn’t used during charging except to take a screenshot every ten minutes.

I bought my iPhone 4 from the UK; this means I can’t plug it in anywhere, so I still use my iPhone 3G charger. This charger will charge the iPhone 4 in approximately 123 minutes. interestingly, charging the iPhone 4 from a mid-2011 MacBook Air—even with no iTunes syncing—took ten minutes longer at 133 minutes. The System Information/System Report shows the iPhone 4 is granted a total 1000mA power draw. (Surprisingly, this is also true for the 5G iPod.) a mid-2007 MacBook Pro, on the other hand, doesn’t show any additional power granted to the iPhone, and charging from that computer takes around 185 minutes.

But enough of that: it’s time to move on to the third party chargers. The charger for my Sennheiser Bluetooth headphones is rated for 500mA. When connecting an iPhone with a dead battery, the iPhone will charge for a few minutes showing the “low battery” screen. It then boots up and no longer recognizes the power source. Presumably, this charger leaves the USB data lines disconnected so the iPhone doesn’t recognize the charger as a charger and also can’t initiate the USB communication protocol. thus limited to a mere 100mA, the iPhone apparently declines to charge.

I also found a no-name USB charger for some long-forgotten device that is rated for 1000mA, the same as the iPhone 3G and iPhone 4 chargers. unlike the Sennheiser charger, this one charges the iPhone just fine in about 121 minutes. 

Yet another 1000mA USB charger is tiny and white, looking a bit like an Apple knockoff, so presumably made with the iPhone in mind. It charges the iPhone, but it somehow affects the iPhone’s touchscreen: gestures are no longer recognized in the correct place on the screen. Fearing that the power was out of spec, I disconnected it to prevent possible damage. however, I saw a forum post from someone reporting the same effect when charging an iPhone from the 2100mA iPad charger, which works fine for others and is officially sanctioned by Apple.

The iPhone 4 charging from a Blackberry charger

But now the real test: charging the iPhone with a 700mA Blackberry charger using Apple’s Micro USB adapter. The iPhone went through the usual dead battery routine and after a somewhat slow start and charged at 10 percent per 10 minutes, slightly slower than from the 1000mA chargers and at the same rate as from the MacBook Air. During the last 20 percent of the charging cycle, where charging slows down, the Blackberry charger made up for its slow start and finished after 133 minutes, the same as the MacBook Air.

So, what can we conclude?

First off, all USB chargers are not created equal. This extensive test report from six or so years ago shows this very clearly. While most chargers will charge the iPhone, some simply won’t work and a few mess up the touchscreen while charging. in general, try to use a charger rated for (at least) 1000mA, which is more likely to be of a more recent design and therefore to be recognized by the iPhone. a 1000mA charger will also support the fastest charging times, and will reach an 80 percent charge a lot faster.

Most chargers these days have a standard USB type a port that the iPhone’s dock connector cable plugs into, so the Micro USB adapter is not exactly an essential accessory. but if you have other devices that have a Micro USB port, then it’s a little easier to travel with just a Micro USB cable and this adapter than with separate Micro USB and dock connector cables. not in the least as unlike the dock connector cable, Micro USB cables are cheap and available in a variety of different lengths. The adapter is also small enough to carry everywhere in case you need to leach some power off of an unsuspecting Blackberry or Android user when your iPhone runs out of juice unexpectedly.