Daily Bits

noemi

Picplz: New iPhone App

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Apps for the iPhone are all over the place, and yet people are on the perennial quest to find a new one that they will obsess about.  For those who cannot get enough pictures and cannot wait to upload them to the Internet as soon as possible, here is a new iPhone app that will satisfy your needs easily: picplz.

This app has been around for a while, but not specifically for the iPhone.  It is developed by the founders of Imeem, the social media service that gained popularity several years ago.  In its heyday, lots of people availed of Imeem’s sharing service – videos, music, and photos.  It has been closed down, though, thanks to its acquisition by MySpace.

Anyhow, the same people behind Imeem have made picplz available for use on the iPhone.  It’s really not that revolutionary if you think about it  -it functions much like Twitter, except that it’s meant especially for photos.  Now that the iPhone has a decent camera, it is a simple matter to snap pictures and share them with your friends anytime.

You may be thinking – but there is a host of other apps that offer a similar service.  So why should anyone bother to give picplz a try?  For now, the value lies in instant uploading and tagging the location (which seems to be all the rage these days).  The founders are also working on providing more features in the future.  Besides, the app is FREE, so you really have nothing to lose by trying it out.  Oh, and this app is also available for Android phones.

CopyTrans: The Easy Way to Back Your iPod Up

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Everyone loves just how easy it is to transfer songs to Apple iPods. Whichever kind of iPod you are using, the interface that iTunes offers is so simple and intuitive that even the most technologically challenged people I know do not have many problems filling their iPods up with music, images, and videos.

The reverse process – transferring files from an iPod to the computer – is a whole new story, though. I still remember when I got my first iPod (it was the black and red U2 one). I had no inkling about this “issue.” Needless to say, I got frustrated in the beginning.

Today, though, this is not really a problem anymore. With a single click, you can easily back your iPod up and make sure that its contents are accessible on your computer as well. CopyTrans is a piece of software that can do this for you without you wanting to tear your hair out.

There are two modes – Smart Backup and Manual Backup. The first one is highly recommended for beginners. You simply click a button and you can make sure that your iTunes will have everything that your iPod has. It is the perfect choice if you just bought a new laptop (or you reformatted your hard drive) and your iTunes library is empty. It is also an easy way to “fix” your iTunes library if it is missing some songs that are in your iPod. No thinking necessary – just click and CopyTrans will do it for you! The Manual Backup mode is great for more advanced users who want more control over which files to transfer to the computer.

However way you want it, CopyTrans can do it for you. No more fussing about how to get those tracks from the iPod onto the computer! Oh, and yes, the newest version is compatible with the new iOS. For a mere $19.99, you get the convenience that you’ve always wanted. I want a copy myself!

Is Your Privacy Online Protected?

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Practically everyone is online these days, and you can’t really keep track of all the information on you out there.  While you may be careful with what you post and what you do on the Internet, threats to privacy are very much real.  We’ve heard of horror stories about these issues all too often, but for those who haven’t experienced any problems, the threat may not seem that urgent. If you think this way, it is about time that you take a look at how protected you are.

Judging by the number of articles and posts on online privacy you can find, one should really take this issue seriously.  Here are a few ways by which you can make sure that your online privacy is protected.

Be smart with passwords

This is such a basic thing, but the need for solid passwords cannot be emphasized enough. Remember the simple rules: don’t use one password for all your accounts. Don’t use your name, your birth date, etc. If necessary, keep a file of all your passwords so you won’t have to worry about forgetting them.

Do not “engage” spammers in anyway

That means you automatically click SPAM. Do not bother to reply. Do not even click on the link that says “Unsubscribe” or something similar. Just click SPAM.

Don’t forget to log out

We used to own an Internet cafe many years ago, and I cannot count the instances wherein I would use a computer only to see that the previous user did not log out of Yahoo. You may say that you don’t use public computers, but it still is a good habit to develop.

For more tips and details, visit my sources for this post: The Telegraph and EFF.

Photo credit: opensourceway

Facebook Places: Let Everyone Know Where You Are

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Why would you want that? Well, I am sure that it can come in handy sometimes, but whatever I think about the idea, the fact is that Facebook has just launched a new feature for US users: Facebook Places. The application is available on the iPhone and allows Facebook users to share their locations. If you are thinking of Foursquare, you’re right on.

In the Facebook Blog, you can read the official announcement for Facebook Places:

Ever gone to a show, only to find out afterward that your friends were there too? With Places, you can discover moments when you and your friends are at the same place at the same time.

You have the option to share your location by “checking in” to that place and letting friends know where you are. You can easily see if any of your friends have also chosen to check in nearby.

I don’t know about you but that second paragraph just doesn’t cut it for me. Anyhow, with the app, you can choose your settings so that your location will be published. You can also tag your friends who are in the same location as you are. More so, you can see other friends who might have “checked in” in the same area.

This brings to mind what happened to Adam Savage and his geolocation boo-boo. With Facebook’s privacy issues, do we really want to use Facebook Places? You tell me!

Photo credit: Facebook Blog

Happy 15th Birthday, Internet Explorer!

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You probably haven’t used Internet Explorer in ages – I hardly know anyone who does anymore – but it is still worth noting that this week marks the 15th anniversary of this web browser. If you’ve been going on the Internet for a decade or so, you probably have had your own experiences with Internet Explorer. After all, in the old days, we didn’t have much of a choice. All that changed with the entry of other, more efficient browsers. Still, it’s nice to take a look back and see what the browser has gone through.

A quick rundown on the origins of Internet Explorer…

The first version was released in 1995, August 16. Soon after, in April of 1996, the second version was born. Less than a year – in August of 1996 – IE 3 was released. This was a huge improvement over the first two versions in that it was more integrated with other applications and developers were able to use Cascading Style Style.

IE 4 came in the next year, surrounded by controversy. At this point, Microsoft’s propensity for monopoly was already becoming well known, and their web browser was no exception. Some of you might remember the issue of IE being the sole browser used for Windows, which the courts declared to be unfair. (As an aside: thank God we have other browsers at our disposal now.)

The numbers (IE#) went up with each version and now, in 2010, we are looking at Internet Explorer 9. It is slated to be released on the 15th of September. Supposed to be on the cutting edge of technology, IE 9 is proof of this browser’s tenacity. Despite having a lot of competition in the recent years, it seems that it still has a solid foothold.

Never mind that I haven’t used this browser since forever – Happy Birthday anyway, IE!

MobileASL – Sign Language On Mobile Phones

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What do you use your mobile phone for? If this question were asked 10 to 15 years ago, the most common answer would probably be “for voice calls.” Today, text messaging and browsing the web just might be the “winning answers.”

I bet, though, that communicating using sign language over the phone is not going to be in anyone’s list of anyone’s answers. If a group of engineers from the University of Washington is successful, millions of deaf people around the world will be able to use their mobile phones to make calls; and instead of using voice to communicate, they can use American Sign Language!

The team has dubbed themselves the MobileASL, and they have been working on a technology that compresses video signals. The technology focuses on the face and the hands of the user, optimizing the use of the bandwidth. In addition to that, the engineers are also looking at conserving battery life by detecting whether or not the user is signing. At “idle” moments, the power use can be lowered to extend the battery life.

At this point, the brains behind the technology still want to know more about how it will perform in real life situations. They have conducted studies with “real” users, and the response has been positive so far. The edge that MobileASL has is the fact that they are aiming to make the technology available over a broad range of devices. No iPhone-only application from these guys – if they have their way, practically anyone will be able to make use of their creation.