Android – Iphone – Applications

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written by Duy Phong \\ tags: 3G, App, Apple, Download, Iphone, ITunes, Mac, OS, Tutorial, Unlock

Popularity: unranked [?]

written by Duy Phong \\ tags: 3G, App, Apple, Application, Cydia, Download, Iphone, Itouch, ITunes, Mac, OS, Rapidshare, Tutorial, Unlock

Popularity: unranked [?]

written by Duy Phong \\ tags: 3G, App, Apple, Application, Cydia, Download, Google, Iphone, Mac, OS, Tutorial, Unlock

Smart Scanner is a scanning app which allows users to scan printed information, such as magazine articles, emails, book pages, etc. and use its OCR features to send scanned information via email, store it within the app for future reference, make a phone call or open a URL, by simply touching the appropriate link on the resulting scan’s screen. That said, Smart Scanner is not your typical scanning app, in that it focuses on scanning text, data, etc. for real-time use. It also allows users to edit/use the scanned text as they would any regular text file. Unfortunately, Smart Scanner is designed to work on the iPhone 3GS, so those of you who have older iDevice models will have to upgrade (or wait until June 24th) due to the capabilities of the older cameras.

I initially began assessing Smart Scanner version 1.0 and immediately noticed it seemed to be lacking features, as well as an issue that hindered the app’s usefulness/productivity: The app only worked in landscape mode, making it difficult to scan horizontal pages and pages containing multiple columns of text. Well, Shape Services apparently felt my pain, as shortly after, on June 2, 2010, they released an update to the app with the following modifications/enhancements:

One thing I’ve learned reviewing various scanner apps is that regardless of the OCR/Data Recognition’s competence, ultimately, any scan is dependent upon the user and the environment. That said, Smart Scanner’s OCR seems highly sensitive, which is a Catch-22: While it performs very well under the right conditions, the slightest variable in environment lighting, movement on the user’s part, etc. can negatively affect the scan. Also, the app’s layout mode (portrait/landscape) is very sensitive and greatly affects its scanning capabilities, so users need to ensure they’re using the proper mode for their scan (indicated by the blue/green scan icon on the toolbar).

Smart Scanner’s main screen interface consists of the viewfinder with a row of icons/buttons situated at the bottom of the screen (or the right if in landscape mode): An arrow icon which brings users to the scanned text entry page, a toggle switch allowing users to select alpha-numeric text or QR codes, an icon bringing users to their Photo Library and the scan icon, which will be blue for normal scanning and green for scanning appended parts of documents, a feature which really makes this app shine.

Using Smart Scanner is fairly simple: Just point your camera to the text you want scanned/recognized and the app’s OCR will highlight the text/data it recognizes in yellow. Users can either tap the (blue/green) scan icon to begin the scan or use their finger to draw a box around the text they want scanned. Doing so produces an orange rectangle highlighting the target text. Releasing your finger initiates the scanning process. To scan full screen, press the scan button on the menu’s toolbar and hold your iPhone steady. Once the text is recognized (it will be highlighted in yellow), touch the scan button to initiate the scan. If the device is not stable enough to take a clear picture, four red border indicators will appear. When the app is able to obtain a clear, steady scan, the borders will turn green and the scan will commence.

Where Smart Scanner differs from other scanner apps is that it allows users to interact with the target information they’ve scanned on their screen, i.e. tapping a scanned email address, phone number or URL allows the user to perform the desired action using the data. For example, tapping a URL, opens it in an in-app browser and provides users the option of opening the same URL within Safari. Tapping a phone number provides users with the option of placing a call immediately, creating an SMS, adding the number to their contacts or copying the number to the clipboard. Doing the same with email addresses provides the options of creating an email containing the scanned text or adding the address to the user’s contacts. Any text scanned by the app can be edited and/or saved for later use via a scan history option.

After the scanning process, users will have the options to edit the text, copy it for pasting elsewhere, adding to the text using the green Append Scan icon (which allows users to combine multiple scans into one) or conduct a new scan. All scans are saved in the app’s Save History and can be accessed/deleted any time.

I really put this app through the proverbial paces, scanning text from magazines, books and even my computer screen in well-lit and dark environments. Predictably, the more light and less text you have, the better the scan. That said, I did encounter problems scanning large amounts of text, such as magazine pages, but after several tries, the app finally got it. Overall, Smart Scanner performed well, but did make mistakes, specifically while scanning large/text heavy items in low light environments.

Smart Scanner is a great app for scanning multiple pages of text, using the Append feature, but using it to capture a lone phone number, URL or email address is actually counter-productive, unless it’s a list: By the time I open the app and scan the image, I can input 2-3 of the afore-mentioned. Be that as it may, this app is a good tool to have in your arsenal. It definitely earned a place in mine.

[ Smart Scanner Review is a post from 148Apps ]

Popularity: unranked [?]

written by Duy Phong \\ tags: 3G, App, Iphone, OS

Most people who have seen my new iPad react with the same question, “should I get this or the Kindle?” Apple, obviously, intended its iPad to be perceived as much more than an eBook reader. Yet the much publicized launch of the iBookstore, along with the iPad’s slim form factor, have led many consumers to perceive the iPad as an expensive eBook reader.

The Kindle is the Premier eBook Reader

Amazon’s Kindle 2

The Kindle was launched solely as an eBook reader and is marketed as such. Jeff Bezos, on introducing the device, said of the Kindle that “it’s so ambitious to take something as highly evolved as the book and improve on it. And maybe even change the way people read.” Amazon has definitely done much of the legwork in improving the acceptability of the eBook as a new medium for written material. Amazon’s true innovation was bringing E-Ink technology to the consumer market, along with doing the technical legwork to simplify the reading experience. At its core, the Kindle is a delivery device – a user purchases a book as they would online and finds it available for reading seconds later.

The reading experience does everything it can to mimic the experience of paper, all of which is aided by E-Ink. The screen is technology’s response to those who complained that they would never be able to read a book on a traditional LCD screen or a laptop. The Kindle itself is merely the size of a large paperback and is lighter than most printed books. The Kindle is Bezos’ effort to translate the book for the digital age, and he has largely succeeded in providing a popular and widely accepted new platform.

The iPad as an eBook Reader

Apple’s iPad with iBooks

The iPad has benefited from terrific interest from both book publishers and book retailers. As a consequence we’ve seen innovative new packages like the Vook and traditional books from retailers like B&N, Amazon, and more. While the Kindle has a terrific – and probably the largest – bookstore, the iPad offers more choices for where you get your ebooks.

There’s Apple’s iBooks, Amazon’s Kindle reading app, B&N’s new iPad reader, and more. The three largest players each offer different solutions to the eBook problem. iBooks tries to mimic the feel of a physical book, utilizing a color UI with beautifully rendered page turns. The Kindle’s UI is black and white and encourages the same type of user interaction as the physical Kindle – a simple tap on the side of the screen changes pages in a fluid transition not as visually distracting as that of iBooks. B&N’s app allows users to choose from dozens of different visual settings but maintains the same fluid page transitions as Amazon’s Kindle app. Only the iBooks app has a store in-app; the others force the reader to go to Safari to purchase books. This is a definite snag in the clear workflow Bezos presented with the original Kindle, but one that I’m sure both B&N and Amazon will surmount in future applications.

The iPad’s reflective LCD screen probably isn’t the best for simply reading a book. It’s a pain in the sun, where it’s nearly impossible to see the text on a page. E-Ink mainly solves this problem with its screen. People who have issues reading for long periods of time on their laptops may wish to reconsider an iPad purchase if it’s intended solely as an eBook reader. While the reading experience is cleaner and more enjoyable, it’s the same experience as the backlit screens most notebooks include. In addition, the iPad’s battery life is rated at 10 hours, enough for most commuters but nowhere near the weeks the Kindle can last for.

The iPad as a Platform: Bigger Than Books

A Vook on the iPad

The key differentiator between the two comes when we move beyond the simple eBook reading features. The Kindle includes a browser, but not one that functions nearly as well as the iPad’s. It’s black and white and renders incredibly slowly due to the E-Ink screen technology. The iPad’s Safari browser is widely regarded as one of the best on a mobile platform.

I’ve always seen the iPad as more than a traditional book reader as well. The Kindle simply translates the book reading experience into the digital age but strives not to completely alter the way we experience books. New features like Amazon’s Popular Highlights add subtle suggestions about the importance of a passage but do not redefine the reading workflow. Cool ideas like the aforementioned Vook change the reading experience by adding videos, multimedia, more information about certain topics (with links) and more. Could the iPad help the form of the written word change? Only time, and developers, will tell.

Decisions, Decisions
Those of you struggling with the decision to purchase an iPad or a Kindle might want to do some soul searching. What do you want from your portable device? Just books and nothing more? Buy a Kindle – that’s what it’s meant for. But if you’re looking for a small computer, with thousands of different and innovative new applications that could redefine reading, the iPad is for you.

[ iPad or Kindle? A Flawed, but Popular, Comparison is a post from 148Apps ]

Popularity: unranked [?]

written by Duy Phong \\ tags: App, Apple, Application, OS