Tag Archives: iPod Touch

WeeWorld gets more mobile with a new iPhone app. It lets you customize your WeeMee on the go. You can then use your new avatar for caller ID purposes, even on other people’s iPhones (your friends, of course–who else would have your phone number?). From there, you can also use your avatar for social networks like Facebook, where WeeWorld also has an app. As far as other social media outlets go, you’ve pretty much always been able to use your WeeWorld avatar for the likes of AIM chat. The same goes for the new mobile avatar creation app.

With the new iPhone app, WeeWorld is taking its virtual environments one step closer to the mobile realm. Having incorporated itself into a wider-range virtual world and porting that to other platforms such as Facebook, WeeWorld has been rather calculated in its strategy towards expansion. Having a greater mobile presence indicates that WeeWorld is seeking better engagement and interactivity with new and existing users. I, for one, would love to see more ways in which to interact with my virtual environments through my mobile device.

While there aren’t many direct ways in which the new WeeWorld avatar creator can interact with the WeeWorld’s online virtual world, the new iPhone app is certainly a step in the right direction. Given the growing presence virtual environments have on our every day social interactions, even something less involved such as an avatar can have a great impact on the mobile and associated web-based markets.

Virtual goods, for one, present an opportunity for WeeWorld to increase visibility and revenue by offering an iPhone app such as this, especially if the economy around purchasing accessories for an avatar grows through WeeWorld’s mobile presence. Tying this in with other socially-driven platforms and marketplaces is a good way for WeeWorld to segment and re-aggregate a good portion of its existing and upcoming options around its virtual environments.

Especially with the upcoming release of the Apple iPad, WeeWorld could have even more chances to combine its mobile and web-based efforts. As the iPad will have a greater focus on web activity and mobile browsers, the opportunity for Facebook apps to increase their mobile options may be achieved with the iPad and similar devices. For those, such as WeWorld, that already have iPhone apps, the potential behind the iPad is even greater for mobile access and interfacing options with its users.

This is a rumor folks, but what a juicy one it is.

Gizmodo points us to an article in today’s Financial Times about the rumored launch of an Apple tablet just in time for the Christmas Shopping Season this year. The  device sounds an awful lot like a giant iPod Touch, so I’m not sure how much credence I put in this. I’ve travelled a lot lately, so my mindset is sort of “How could I use this on a plane?” and that would be pretty handy for movies. (Although the iPod Touch/iPhone takes up a lot less space.)

This will compete directly, I would think, with the various “netbooks” that are out there. Apple has done enough with touchscreens to be able to support a tablet, and the keyboard would be more usable to those of us with fat finger syndrome.

According to the Financial Times,

Apple is racing to offer a portable tablet-sized computer in time for the Christmas shopping season, in what the entertainment industry hopes will be a new revolution.

The device is expected to be launched alongside new content deals, including some aimed at stimulating sales of CD-length music, according to people briefed on the project. The touch-sensitive computer will have a screen that may be up to 10 inches diagonally.

The article takes great pains to mention that this could also be a competitor to the Kindle, with book publishers already interested. My thoughts on that? Unless it’s e-ink, which is easy on the eyes, I don’t see it as a challenge to e-Book Readers like the Kindle and/or the Sony.

Estimated pricing is between $600-$1000 (did I mention it’s a rumor?). Would you buy an Apple tablet in that price range or is this just another random tech gadget?

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This might be reason enough to keep my iPhone around as an iPod Touch. CardStar is a new app that makes your life a lot easier.

My wallet is filled with various loyalty cards for retail and grocery stores. When I travel, I grab whatever cards are necessary (such as Delta and Hilton) and add those into the mix as well. My keychain has several loyalty cards that are beat to a pulp just from being on my keychain. In fact, my gym now only offers keychain cards. (What were they thinking?)

CardStar can put an end to all of that. You can add many of your loyalty cards, including the scannable bar code, to your iPhone and then the cards can still be scanned in by the cashier. Cool, right?  CardStar has a merchant list of over 130 companies. I noticed right away that they included Kroger, Sam’s Club, Hallmark, Trade Secret, DSW, Barnes & Noble, Borders, and Delta Airlines. All of those are in my purse right now.

To make the application work, you just enter your membership number and the app does the rest. It also offers advanced options for adding cards not included in their merchant list – like my gym. Right now, the CardStar app is available for free from the iTunes App Store (iTunes link), although normally it’s 99¢.

While the application is currently only available for Apple mobile devices, they are developing versions for Blackberry, Android, and Palm.

Actually, this is sort of brilliant.

In the same way as pilots are often available as free [promotional] downloads on iTunes, you can now download the pilot script of Showtime’s new “Nurse Jackie” starring Edit Falco. The free download is available through August 31.

It’s a different way of looking at things – and to a degree, it might also be grabbing a slightly different audience.Or maybe not. After all, if you have an iPhone or iPod Touch, you can install the Kindle App and access the pilot script as well.

According to Ad Age, Showtime is also giving you scheduling information and displaying banner ads on Amazon’s site.

Working with its media shop, Omnicom Group’s OMD, Showtime will use banner ads throughout Amazon.com and on the Kindle storefront to promote the free download, which will be available until Aug. 31. Along with cover art and a title page, the script comes with show scheduling information and a call to action urging readers to visit Sho.com to watch the premiere of “Nurse Jackie.”

It’s an interesting take on mobile. Oh, and in case you thought they were just focusing on the Kindle, you can download a 30-minute edited version of the show, plus behind-the-scenes action, on iTunes.

by Michelle Lentz

Since I got the Kindle, I’ve started every morning skimming through the Wall Street Journal Marketplace, Personal Journal, and Technology sections. I was pleasantly surprised this morning to read about a new Kindle app for the iPhone while reading my Kindle.

When the new Kindle was announced, it was inferred that interaction with other devices would be coming soon. Today, Amazon released the free Kindle app for iPhone / iPod Touch in the iTunes App Store (app iTunes link).

The Kindle and the iPhone app now sync with each other via Amazon’s Whispersync. If you’ve started a book on the Kindle, that same book is available on your iPhone. Additionally, it will open to the page you left off reading.

Amazon sees the iPhone as a complementary technology. Battery life, small size, and eye strain might all get in the way of reading on the iPhone, with Kindle viewed by Amazon as the superior device for ebooks. However, they also know you won’t always have your Kindle with you.  According to Ian Freed, vice president for Amazon Kindle, “Kindle for iPhone and iPod touch is a great way for customers to catch up on their current book wherever they are, like in line at the grocery store or between meetings.” The funny thing is, I can actually see that happening. Well, maybe not between meetings, but when I’m stuck in line somewhere or waiting in a parking lot somewhere, I always play with the iPhone. Now I can read while I’m killing time. It’s not a bad alternative.

Using the Kindle for iPhone and iPod touch app, you can

• Access your entire library of previously purchased Kindle books stored on Amazon’s servers
• Adjust the text size of books
• Add bookmarks and view notes and highlights

There is a downside. For instance, I have been reading a lot of documents (books and papers) on the Kindle that did not come from Amazon. I’ve been using calibre to upload things via my computer. As far as I can tell, the iPhone app uses Amazon (not the Kindle) as its hub and therefore has no knowledge of anything else I might be reading that is non-Amazon. Amazon also didn’t integrate book shopping into the app, and suggests you use your home computer or access their Kindle store from Safari on your iPhone. I’m also not sure how well this will work for folks who want to use their iPhone as an eBook reader without a Kindle. The app is very much an accessory for the Kindle device.

Hopefully other devices are on the horizon for WhisperSync. I’d love to see integration for Blackberry and the new Palm Pre.

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