Fitocracy’s Web App Wants You To Get Up And Go Mobile. The guys at Fitocracy, the social fitness tracker, have been very busy since we’ve seen them last. Though I’m a fan of the service, sometimes using it can be hit or miss. Don’t get me wrong — it’s absolutely great on a computer, but the site never really scaled well for mobile devices. Thankfully, that’s no longer the case, as the company has announced that the first version of their mobile web app has just gone online. For the uninitiated, Fitocracy combines fitness tracking with social elements and an RPG-esque levelling system that appeals to the inner EXP grinder in me.
Fitocracy’s mobile web app works by cutting nearly all of the social cruft that the service is known for. Each of your exercises nets you a certain number of points, enough of which allow you to level up. All things considered, it’s functional, if a little spartan. Instagram Adds High-Res Photos, New Filters in Version 2.0 | Raw File. Photo courtesy of Instagram By Duncan Geere, Wired.co.uk Snazzy camera-filtering smartphone app Instagram has just announced version 2.0 of its app, bringing new filters, high-resolution photos and an enhanced UI. Underwriting the update is a complete rewrite of the camera code, which has allowed the team behind the app to make filters 200 times faster than before. You’ll now be able to switch between them after you’ve taken a photo, in “no time at all”. You can see the camera’s new interface in action on Instagram’s website.
[partner id="wireduk"] The biggest and most important change is a dramatic increase in the size of the images that are captured. There are four new filters — Amaro, Rise, Hudson and Valencia — which have been produced by a community member called @colerise. Finally, there are various other tweaks, including the option to remove borders, one-click rotation within the camera and a new icon. You can download the update now from the App Store. AT&T to Throttle Big Users of Unlimited Data. AT&T announced service throttling for the heaviest users of its unlimited mobile data plans on Friday, saying the only way to truly solve its bandwidth crunch is for regulators to approve its merger with T-Mobile USA.
Starting Oct. 1, heavy data users may see their downstream connections slow down after their usage reaches the point where they are in the top 5 percent of users in a given billing cycle, AT&T said in a statement on its website. The change only affects subscribers with unlimited data plans, leaving those with tiered plans free to buy more data if they run out. In its statement, AT&T called the change one step to manage the rapidly growing demand for mobile data, saying it is also investing in its network and trying to acquire more network capacity. "Many experts agree the country is facing a serious wireless spectrum crunch," the company said. However, throttling heavy users' bandwidth won't solve the capacity issue by itself, AT&T warned. Meporter: The beat on the street. Supposed HTC Thunderbolt Specs Leaked: 1.2 Ghz Dual-Core CPU, 5 Megapixel Front Camera, And More! At this point, Verizon’s upcoming 4G-friendly Android phone, the HTC Thunderbolt, is about as secret as my undying love for oxygen.
While its gone by different names over time (from the Incredible HD, to “Mecha”, to the current Thunderbolt moniker), we’ve seen leak, after leak, after leak with this thing. One thing, however, has managed to remain elusive: the spec sheet. In some sort of belated Christmas miracle, it looks like that might have just made its way out. According to German HTC fansite HTCInside.de, these specs come straight from the inventory system of an unnamed German retailer: 1.2Ghz Qualcomm MSM8960 dual-core CPUAndroid 2.3LTE support4.3″ Touchscreen8 megapixel autofocus camera with Dual-LED flash (with HD video recording)5 megapixel front-facing cameraRadio: Quadband UMTS/LTE/HSDPA/HSUPA 802.11b/g/nBluetoothGPS/aGPSHotspot mode16 GB internal memory1800mAh battery Anything sound fishy to you?
[Via SlashGear via Phonedog] The 10 elite smartphones of 2010 | Tech Sanity Check | TechRepublic.com.
Android. RIM. 5 Predictions for Mobile in 2011. Mobile really exploded in 2010, thanks to a surge in smartphone sales, the rise of the iPad, and of course the iPhone. Mobile devices are getting more powerful, data connections are getting faster and developers are really pushing the boundaries of how we define a "mobile app. " It's always tough to make predictions about technology because of the speed of innovation. This is especially true for mobile technology, where the landscape can change in a period of six months, let alone in a year. These are five of my predictions for what we will see happen in mobile in 2011. 1. Tablet Mania Hits a Fever Pitch Mark Zuckerberg might not think that the iPad is mobile, but I respectfully disagree. Many people predicted that 2010 would be the year of the tablet, but in actuality, it was the year of one tablet, the iPad.
The most important lesson that tablet makers can take away from the iPad is that user experience matters. 2. 3. 4. It's been an interesting year for Adobe Flash. 5. Verizon Wireless Set to Launch 4G Network Tomorrow? Use Gmail to make VoIP calls: Hands-on review | Webware. With Google's rollout Wednesday to Gmail, the built-in Google Talk chat app is finally getting its own voice. Specifically, a plugin that lets you surface a dial pad so you can launch VoIP calls from the Gmail.com in-box, or from within iGoogle. The big caveat is that the service is currently being rolled out only to U.S. Gmail users. We've been expecting something like this to happen since Google snapped up VoIP company Gizmo 5 last November, and there's even been speculation that this could have been .
Calling from Gmail We tested the Google Talk VoIP capabilities on a Windows desktop, a Windows laptop, and a Mac laptop. It may go without saying, but we'll say it anyway--you will need to have a microphone handy, either in the computer itself, or in a headset, in order to hear your caller from your computer. The VoIP interface itself is plain, in typical Google fashion, with just a dial pad on the bottom right of the screen. Is Google's VoIP a Skype killer? Verizon Wireless to pay $25 million to settle with FCC over 'mystery' data fees - latimes.com. Reporting from Washington — Verizon Wireless agreed to pay the government $25 million to settle complaints that it inappropriately charged customers more than $50 million in so-called mystery fees, often for inadvertently accessing the Internet without a data plan, federal regulators said Thursday. As part of a consent decree, Verizon agreed to refund those charges to about 15 million customers — a move the company announced about a month ago.
The carrier, which did not admit liability, also will take steps to avoid similar problems in the future. The steps it must take include providing plain-language explanations of potential data fees and offering customers the option of blocking Internet access and other downloads. For customers without data plans, Verizon charges $1.99 per megabyte. The $25-million settlement, to be paid to the U.S. Treasury, is a record amount obtained by the Federal Communications Commission.
Verizon has agreed to provide at least $52.8 million in refunds. Instagram: Share Phone Photos with Friends, In the Moment. We’ll never stop <3ing our DSLR, polaroids, or film cams. But it's our camera phone that's always with us. Like when we spotted a pug trotting down the street sporting goggles or that guy unicycling up the steepest hill of all time.
Enter Instagram. Not just another camera app or more filters for your pix. Instagram is THE way to share the fleeting moments of your life. What makes it different? It’s simple and fast. Or tap the feed and see all your friends’ everyday lives through their eyes in about 20 seconds. Download it, then peep our getting started guide (with help from Kevin Systrom, co-founder of Instagram) for who to follow and the best tips for Instagram. Our Instagram Tips and Best Users to Follow p.s. P.p.s. Why we love Instagram: If you’re just getting started on Instagram, we’ll show you who to follow and all of the awesome ways to play with it! Who to Follow (AKA these guys have amazing photo streams!) Click handle names that are linked to see Instagram photos from a specific user. Flixster - Share Movie Reviews and Movie Ratings With Your Friends.
Body Sensing Comes to Smartphones. How mobile phones develop economies and save lives: Study. Only three years since the project started, new research conducted at the Millennium Villages by Swedish mobile communications company Ericsson, The Earth Institute and Millennium Promise shows that quality and availability of health and education services have improved as a result of access to mobile connectivity. The recently published report, The Impact of Mobile Connectivity on the Millennium Development Goals in Africa, also shows increased benefits for small businesses by reducing transportation costs and making price and market information more accessible. The results of the study — conducted in Ghana, Nigeria, Kenya and Tanzania — show that the introduction of mobile networks has the potential to influence socio-economic development for individuals and villages in remote areas. This is in line with different studies showing that 1,2% growth GDP can be achieved in developing countries for every 10% increase in mobile penetration rate.