Star Trek and the iPad
For those of you who can’t get enough “Star Trek,” here are some clips posted on You Tube from the series that predicted the coming of the iPad. Some in this post date back at least 20 years.
Most are from “The Next Generation” but you can find on the Web all kinds of reports that illustrate how “Star Trek” decades ago envisioned the technology that we use today — such as Skype for video conferencing, flip mobile phones, Blue Tooth headsets, portable translators, interactive video gaming, voice-activated computers and more.
Star Trek never mentioned apps as a way to access the Enterprise’s main computer system, however. But this blog post foreshadows Tuesday’s Get App-y column on NewsOK.com anyway. Stay tuned. …
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Jean Luc Pickard and an iPad predecessor
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And yet another …
What will the next real-life technology be that was first imagined by “Star Trek”? Cloaking to make an entire ship invisible? The Holodeck for video gaming? Comment below or email me.
~ Lillie-Beth (lbrinkman@opubco.com)
Speech Trans app winner …
Drumroll, please!
Lela Sullivan of Oklahoma City won the Speech Trans app for the iPad!
Thanks to everyone who entered!
lbrinkman@opubco.com
Get App-y: Apps that recognize speech and a translation app giveaway for the iPad!
Here’s a Get App-y column from the recent archives. At the end of this post, see how you can win your copy of SpeechTrans app, its logo pictured left, for the iPad.
From the Get App-y archives:
Originally published in The Oklahoman June 14, 2011
Get App-y: Speak now with another language
Going abroad this summer? Want to communicate with someone in another language? Order in Italian at an Italian restaurant?
Naturally, your smart phones and tablets are here to help break down communication barriers with mobile applications that allow you speak into the device and have your words translated into another language.
SpeechTrans, with voice recognition powered by Nuance, has several apps for various iOS devices like the iPhone and iPad, ranging from free to $27.99. Google Translate is available free for both Android and iOS.
Speech recognition and translation software while not perfect has gotten much better since the last time I played around with it years ago.
John Frei, SpeechTrans’ co-founder and chief executive, agreed, saying that his app can reach 95 percent accuracy thanks to its partnership with Nuance, a leader in speech recognition. Nuance is behind the popular verbal texting app called Dragon Dictation.
Frei, 36, said the idea for his app stemmed from moving between Switzerland and the United States several times as a child, since his dad was Swiss. He wished he had a way to help him pick up the languages faster.
Three years ago, in an “a-ha moment,” he started using Internet tools to piece together speech-to-speech translation.
“I knew I was onto something. It was very exciting,” he said.
Future updates include developing SpeechTrans for Android systems, and Frei foresees a time when the camera can recognize sign language and turn it into an audio recording.
To use SpeechTrans, choose the language you’re speaking and the one for the translation. Press “record” and start speaking. When you finish, the app will translate and play your words in the other language.
For the written word, check out WordLens from QuestVisual, which uses your camera to translate on screen. A demonstration is free, but each translation (English to Spanish or Spanish to English) costs $9.99 as an in- app purchase.
~ By Lillie-Beth Brinkman (lbrinkman@opubco.com).
YOUR TURN TO WIN
To win your own copy of SpeechTrans for the iPad, enter by emailing me with your name and contact information at lbrinkman@opubco.com or post a comment below, and I’ll have a drawing Friday to pick the winner. Like I said in the column, this amazing app can have many uses. Put “SpeechTrans” in the subject line of your email, and let me know how you’d use it or tell me your favorite apps, and you’ll be entered. Check out the regular Get App-y column on most Tuesdays!
Free eBooks from the Metropolitan Library System
Did you know you can get free eBook downloads for your iPhone or Android phone from the Metropolitan Library System’s website in central Oklahoma?
In researching the Barnes and Noble Nook e-reader over Christmas, I found out you can check out books from the library to that particular device (although not the Kindle). I didn’t know that the same file formats that allow electronic book borrowing to the Nook also can work on your smart phone.
Go online to www.metrolibrary.org for free eBook downloads from your phone. As the library system announced last month, the OverDrive Media Console app, used on many eReaders, is now available for iPhone, iPod touch and Android phones/tabloids. The app lets you download both EPUB eBooks and MP3 audioboos directly to your device.
“This has been one of our most requested services, and we’re so glad to be able to offer it,” said Kellie Delaney, manager of web development and support for Metropolitan Library System, in a news release. “Not only is it great to be able to read our library books on your phone, but you can download them easily whenever you are connected to a WiFi or cellular network.”
To get the app, new users can search for “OverDrive Media Console” in the Apple App Store and Android Market, while current users will be alerted to update the existing OverDrive app on their devices. MLS eBooks and audiobooks can be downloaded by going to www.metrolibrary.org and clicking on eMedia.
The eBook reading experience includes user-inspired features for bookmarking and adjusting brightness and font size. Additional features will be added as the apps evolve, including highlighting, annotation, in-app text-to-speech, and more.
Currently the iPhone app will work on iPad with iOS 4 and enables the full browse, check-out, download experience. However, an optimized version for iPad — with improved resolution and additional features — is coming soon, along with apps for BlackBerry and other mobile devices.
How do you like your e-reader? Did you get one for Christmas? Which is your favorite? E-mail me, or post a comment below.
~ Lillie-Beth Brinkman (lbrinkman@opubco.com)
Protect children online with digital parenting
I liked these tech tips for parents that I received by e-mail from SocialShield, a company that offers tools and social network monitoring for parents wanting to protect their children online, especially as they unwrap more Internet-enabled mobile devices this Christmas. While I am not familiar with this startup company, these tips are some good ones. As Social Shield says, “parents need to stay equally savvy, making sure their parenting goes digital.”
Here is SocialShield’s advice:
1. Encourage a positive online reputation: Oversharing, cyberbullying and other online hazards can seriously affect kids’ online reputations. The most direct precaution to take against these risks is to talk to your kids about how they use the Internet. Discuss their activity on social networking sites, and come up with strategies for using websites wisely.
2. Keep computer usage in shared family rooms: The best way to monitor your kids’ Internet use is to put the computer in living or family rooms. This also encourages them to share positive findings and activities online, such as festive videos that put everyone in the holiday spirit.
3. Discuss technology use: If your child has just received a new smartphone or iPad, now is the time to set ground rules or limitations on how often they use these devices. With more personal ways to access the Internet — and more time to spare during vacation – kids shouldn’t be spending all their time online. Also make sure that with their current free time they aren’t friending random people just out of boredom.
4. Make sure personal information isn’t shared online: Even if your child is excited about making plans with friends during their school break, remind them that the more information they put online, the more access other people (cyberstalkers, cyberbullies) have to them. They should avoid oversharing any information meant for only close friends or family.
5. Reinforce courtesy and politeness: Although you can’t control the behavior of everyone your kids interact with online, you can stress the importance of being polite to avoid bullying and minimize arguments. Remind your kids that it’s just as important to be considerate and compassionate on the Internet as it is in the real world.
6. Block or filter sites if necessary: Kids can be impulsive, and they might get restless after a few days away from school during their holiday break. With monitoring software and services, you can have a better idea of how they’re spending their time online.
7. Make strict rules about chat rooms and chat software: Unfortunately, chat rooms are havens for cyberbullies and online predators. And it’s not just your kids who are on a holiday vacation! Parents of young kids may want to disallow chat rooms altogether, or you can only allow your kids to chat with known and approved friends.
8. Monitor downloads: Free downloads that kids get really excited about – music, videos, games – can make your system vulnerable to viruses, spyware or attacks. Encourage your kids to ask permission before downloading anything onto the computer, or find holiday music or games that you can download and enjoy together.
9. Beware of intrusive apps on mobile devices: They may be free or low-cost alternative to buying expensive game consoles, but many applications and games on Apple and Android devices send out personal information…without you even knowing! Advise your kids to not enter any personal information on the device, no matter what kind of rewards a game promises to give.
How do you monitor your child’s Internet/mobile device behavior? I wrote about this last summer, but I still would like to hear from you either by e-mail or in the comments below. Enjoy your new gadgets this holiday!
~ Lillie-Beth Brinkman (lbrinkman@opubco.com)
“Free” apps like “The Smurfs’ Village” come with a cost if you’re not careful
If you download "The Smurfs' Village" in the iTunes store, you'll get this warning. Be aware that many apps now offer in-app purchases like this, even for free apps.
Watch out before you let your children play with apps on your iPhone. One mom learned that lesson the hard way when she let her 4-year-old son play “The Smurfs’ Village,” a Farmville-like mobile application in which Smurfs maintain farms and build villages.
According to an Associated Press story, “Kids go on expensive buying sprees in iPhone games,” Kelly Rummelhart of Gridley, Calif., was stunned when she found $66.88 in charges on her credit card from the game. She didn’t know you could buy game items with real money; her son is too young to know.
Andrew Butterworth, of Brooklin, Ontario, also learned this lesson after his son charged $140 in “Smurfberries,” according to the AP. A package of 1,000 pretend Smurfberries will set you back $59 in real money.
Late last year, Apple started allowing “in-app” purchases in for free apps. So, you can download and play “Smurfs’ Village” for free, and then make optional purchases to speed up your game play.
These extras don’t require a password to buy if you’ve recently entered your iTunes password for any reason, not just in the game.
The makers of “The Smurfs’ Village,” Capcom Entertainment Inc., now warn buyers of this fact before they add it to their device (see screenshot).
So consider yourself warned that you might get more than annoying ads when you download “free” apps. Extra features, while they make the game more fun to play, can cost you.
~Lillie-Beth (lbrinkman@opubco.com)
Grow blueberries to start your farm in "The Smurfs' Village" app.
Zombies, zombies and more zombies
There’s no shortage of zombie-related apps available on the iTunes store — at least 180 or so, and many of them want to eat your brains. My favorites are Zombie Farm and Plants vs. Zombies, as I talked about in my Get App-y column today.
To fully enjoy zombies live, you had to have been in New York City today to witness a march of them on the Brooklyn Bridge and in Madison Gardens. These zombies paraded in order to promote Sunday night’s premier of AMC’s new television series, “The Walking Dead.”
But if you weren’t there, and you can’t wait to see the show on Sunday, then check out some of these mobile apps on your iPhone or iPod Touch:
Zombies invade your lawn, looking for brains, and plants help fight them in Plants vs. Zombies app for the iPod Touch or iPhone.
I understand the appeal of this top-rated game with strong graphics, good writing and interesting strategy. Each zombie and each plant have a great story, like this one: “Despite Grave Buster’s fearsome appearance, he wants everyone to know that he loves kittens and spends his off hours volunteering at a local zombie rehabilitation center.” Zombies approach, and you pick the plants that you’re going to need to plant in your garden to defend your home. You have to pick the right combination of plants that shoot zombies, provide sunlight and more to win each level. The more you play, the more types of zombies attack and the more plants you can use to blow them up, shoot them, freeze them or squash them.
• Zombie Farm (free, The PlayForge). Like We Rule and Farmville, you plant crops, earn money and build your farm. The twist is you can also plant different types of zombies and go invading. If you don’t harvest in time, your crops, including the zombies, wither. Although it’s free, you’re going to be tempted to spend real money to buy more brains to be able to do more things, but it’s fun at the free level, too.
ZombieSmash, an app for iPhones and iPod Touches, pits one survivor against cartoon-y zombies.
• ZombieSmash ($1.99, Gamedoctors): I haven’t tried this one, but creators describe it as “an undead-themed castle defense game for the iPhone and iPod Touch that casts players as Joey, a lone survivor pit against a herd of writhing, unrelenting zombies. To defeat the undead masses, players must use their fingers to flick and smash them until they’re un-undead.” It’s graphics include cartoon blood and gore and “ragdoll physics” and it looks like it has enough to keep you entertained for awhile.
• Vuvuzela vs. Zombies (free, Undergames, also known as Undercoders): You use the South African vuvuzela instrument, complete with the noise that became famous during last summer’s World Cup, to fight the zombies that attack as they march across a soccer field. The vuvzela noise blows off their head with a little cartoon-y blood. Vuvuzelas. Zombies. There’s not much more to say about this cute game that doesn’t take itself too seriously.
• Zombie Duck Hunt (free, W3 Innovations): The ducks (and geese, bats and quail) are the zombies, and you use rifles to shoot them. The idea behind it is more fun than the execution, although there’s enough help built into the app to figure it out if you want to take the time. Plus, you can download it now with a “Halloween edition.”
• Zombie Shock (full app for $1.99, lite version for free, Blue Wind): It looks like this one has the gore that the others are missing. The app tells its story in graphic novel format, and it’s an action-adventure format with zombie chases, weapons and more. I downloaded it but didn’t try it out — it’s a little too serious for me, and I’ve been stuck on Plants vs. Zombies and Zombie Farm.
• Cat-Nabbin’ Zombies (free, IronBright software): The zombies are after your cats in this game, but my finger kept hitting the ads instead of the gun, which got annoying very quickly. But it’s free.
• Zombie Uprising (free, Zimusoft) . This game feels like a developer’s first effort. It’s simple, but the pace is good. See how many days you can survive against the zombie attack before you’re infected. Not bad, but wait to see what this developer comes up with next.
• Angry Zombies ($1.99 with a free lite version, Si-Yeon Kim) In this game, the zombies are killing the humans, which makes me like zombies even less.
Grow your zombies and your crops in Zombie Farm, then take a photo of it that you can e-mail your friends.
There are so many zombie apps in the iTunes store that there’s one bound to appeal to you. But if you really live in a world where these creatures are real, there’s an audio book that you can download for $17.95: “The Zombie Survival Guide: Complete Protection From the Living Dead,” by Max Brooks, apparently the son of funnyman Mel Brooks.
And with that, I will bury the zombies for good and hope they don’t come back to haunt me this Halloween.
If you have any favorite zombie or Halloween apps, leave a comment below. Check this blog throughout the week for more of the scary and fun.
~ Lillie-Beth (lbrinkman@opubco.com)
Billboard’s music app winners
Dog gets help singing with LaDiDa mobile app, nominated for Billboard’s Best Music Creation app. Winners posted below video.
In a recent Get App-y column (posted below on this blog), I talked about Billboard’s first-ever mobile app awards. Here are the winners, along with the nominees. Whether they won or not, if you’re into music, check them out, and let me know which ones you like. Winners are in red.
Best Music Engagement App:
Tap Tap Revenge 3
SoundHound Infinity √
Mix Me In2 Taylor Swift
(From Lillie-Beth: All three of these are worth playing around with. SoundHound might be less well known than Shazam, but it does the same thing very well. It’s the one I use. My daughter has also had fun with the Taylor Swift app, too, while my son likes the Tap Tap series, which is like Guitar Hero for the mobile device.)
Best Music Creation App:
LaDiDa
AmpliTude iRig
MorphWiz √
(I’m not familiar with the winner MorphWiz or AmpliTude iRig, but LaDiDa comes from a former Oklahoman, who, with her husband, designed an app to make singers of all types sound better.
As for the rest of these apps, I haven’t done much with them — R5 and Bonnaroo are for specific events and/or the music scene in specific cities, and the music streaming apps often require subscription. I have a subscription to Pandora and iTunes and that’s it for now.)
Best Music Streaming App:
Rhapsody
MOG √
Thumbplay
Best Touring App:
Live Phish √
R5
Bonnaroo
Best Artist-based App:
Linkin Park 8-Bit Revolution
I Am T-Pain √
TouchChords: Jimmy Vaughan
Best Branded App:
50s Sound Lab
ZOOZbeat Sprite
Gibson √
Let me know if you have any more music apps that you like.
~ Lillie-Beth Brinkman (lbrinkman@opubco.com)
Want codes? Get App-y has them for a NewsOK app giveaway
Here's a screenshot of what you can see on the Life home page of the NewsOK app.
Did you hear that NewsOK has its own news app now? We launched it earlier this summer on Apple’s iTunes store, although the rollout was quiet. But now, as NewsOK’s Digital Managing Editor Alan Herzberger wrote recently on his blog, The Digital Desk, you can tell everyone about it. Find his take on the app here: http://bit.ly/boZ2Go. You can then buy the app and get all its cool features on the iTunes store. I just bought it Monday night, and like always, I’ll be exploring the app at the same time you are.
For 99 cents, you get access to The Oklahoman’s and NewsOK’s news, blogs and more, all in one place. Whether you’re into Oklahoma news, arts and entertainment, sports business or the opinion page, you’ll find it on this extensive app. So download it today, or …
… win it from the Get App-y blog! The most exciting part about this Get App-y post is that I have at least two codes to give away that will get you the NewsOK app for free. If you win, you’ll get to read all of our content on this app free. Zip. Nada. But even 99 cents is a small price to pay to stay informed about Oklahoma.
Here’s what to do to win:
Send an e-mail to lbrinkman@opubco.com about what apps you are loving right now, for any smart phone — Google’s Android, Apple’s iPhone, the Blackberry — and tell me why. Your e-mail is your entry, but please leave a comment so others can join the discussion.
I’ll pick a random winner, and I’ll contact you by e-mail with a code to download the app. I’ll also post the names and ideas of the winners on the Get App-y blog. I might even consider your ideas for one of my future Get App-y columns, which run on Tuesday. Check out the app featured in today’s column, Knocking Live Video, at NewsOK.com/life.
Comments will close at noon on Wednesday for this giveaway, and I’ll pick a winner soon after that.
However, keep checking back here. There’s more to come as we get an apps discussion started.
~ Lillie-Beth (lbrinkman@opubco.com)
Tethering? The secret hidden in a flashlight iPhone app
The Handy Light flashlight app no longer is available on the iTunes store. Apple pulled this app, apparently by a 15-year-old developer, when it learned the app had a secret code that allowed WiFi tethering.
Nick Lee’s “Handy Light” flashlight app debuted a week ago on the iTunes store for 99 cents without a lot of fanfare. In some ways, it would have been fun to know about it before the rest of the world did. Now this handy app with a secret is gone, pulled by Apple as soon as its secret got out.
“Handy Light Is a convenient flashlight for the iPhone. Choose from 5 designer colors!” read the description for the app while it lasted.
I’m sure many people wanted to know why you would pay for a flashlight app when there are so many for free ( Flashlight, for one, from John Haney).
But that app, which Nick Lee sneaked by Apple, would be saving you money in the long run if you were lucky enough to snag it. Hidden beneath the flashlight function was a code that allowed you turn your device into a tethering device that could bring WiFi Internet access to your computer, iPad or another device. Right now AT&T and other places are charging $20 or more a month for the tethering function that allows devices to channel WiFi through a 3G network or something like that. I don’t understand how all of it works, but I think it would be great to be able to provide Internet access wherever you are through your phone, especially if you could do it without yet another fee for service.
To unlock the tethering part of the app, you needed instructions, found at AppShopper here: http://bit.ly/d2okGt.
I think we’ll be hearing more about tethering in the future; I’ll share with you more as I learn about it, too.
Another interesting part of the story is the fact that it appears that the Nick Lee who outsmarted Apple is a 15-year-old boy who appears to be living in New Jersey. Read more about it at TechCrunch.com here: http://bit.ly/b9IHjn, or at gizmodo here: http://bit.ly/bEeSJh.
If you know of any other app that does this, please let me know. I’d love to hear about it first, before all the media attention.
~ Lillie-Beth
