If you're planning to check out "Avatar" when it hits theaters next month, you'll definitely want to download its official Adobe AIR app.
Like so many other Adobe AIR apps, the "Avatar" app has really pushed the limits of what can be done with the mobile-widget platform.
See Avatar in action.
(Credit: Screenshot by Don Reisinger/CNET)Once you start using the app, I think you'll be pleasantly surprised by what you find. You can view all the trailers released so far for the film. You can also follow movie updates and the cast with the help of the app's built-in networking options. Simply click on the Twitter button and you'll see all their latest updates. The widget even provides access to the "Avatar" Flickr account so you can view images from the film. It also lets you view its YouTube page, so you can watch any trailer you want.
But if you're looking for a little more than what you've probably already seen, the app provides behind-the-scenes cast-member interviews and some more footage from the movie.
The "Avatar" app also adds an element of interactivity to the videos you watch. When you're watching a trailer, you can click on different spots on the screen to gain a little more insight into the characters.
The "Avatar" Adobe AIR app is sure to satisfy you as you prepare for the movie's release next month. Check it out.
See also:
• Adobe releases new Flash, AIR betas
If you're a frequent iTunes user, you're probably looking for some helpful tools that will allow you to get more out of the software. If so, you might want to check out Yahoo Widgets. They're simple, fast applications that run on your desktop to provide a little more functionality than you'll find in iTunes itself.
To save you from doing all the footwork yourself, I've compiled a list of some really neat Yahoo widgets that extend the functionality of iTunes. Let's check them out.
Music time
iPhones: If you're wondering what the top songs are on iTunes at any time, iPhones is for you.
iPhones is designed like an iPhone. It displays the top 10 albums and songs, as well as new releases, featured content, and more. When you click on one of those options, you'll be brought to the song's individual listing page in iTunes. There's not much more to the app than that.
iPhones shows off all the top content on iTunes.
(Credit: Screenshot by Don Reisinger/CNET)iTunes Alarm Clock: If you want to personalize alarms and reminders with your favorite songs, try out the iTunes Alarm Clock widget.
iTunes Alarm Clock is what you might expect: an alarm clock that uses your music to wake you up or alert you to an event. In the app's preferences, you can set the alarm, choose any song you want from your catalog, and have it play at a specified volume. It's an extremely simple app, but I found it useful.
iTunes Alarm Clock is what you might expect.
(Credit: Screenshot by Don Reisinger/CNET)
If you're a frequent Amazon shopper, you might be looking out for tools to help enhance the experience of buying products on the site. There are services on the Web to help you get more out of Amazon than simply picking up a few products from the company's pages.
Let's take a look.
Get your Amazon on
AmaDig If you're looking for a different way to search Amazon, AmaDig will provide it.
When you get to the site, you can pick which Amazon category you want to sift through. From there, the site lists images of different products offered in that category. When you click on a respective product, you can view its specs, pricing, and reviews. You can also view the listing on Amazon or add it to your shopping cart from the site. It's a neat tool, but beware that the interface is a little clunky.
AmaDig has a unique way of displaying items.
(Credit: Screenshot by Don Reisinger/CNET)Amazon Mobile If you're ready to buy a product at the store, you might want to consider using the Amazon app on your iPhone before you plunk down the cash.
Amazon Mobile not only lets you search for products and pricing, you can also take a picture of a product and have the app search Amazon's database to get its pricing. You can add items to your cart and use Amazon's 1-click payment system to place an order. (Read our full review here).
Amazon Mobile in action.
(Credit: CBS Interactive)If you've just started using Opera for the first time with the release of Opera 10 (download for Windows|Mac), you're probably looking to add some widgets to your browser. But finding exactly what you need might take some time. That's why it's best to start with Opera's "Fun and Games" widgets. They're perfect for those times at work when you want to forget about the day and just zone out for a few minutes.
Fun and games with Opera
25 Square Puzzle If you enjoyed Lights Out, an electronic puzzle from the 1990s, you might like 25 Square Puzzle.
Unlike Lights Out, 25 Square Puzzle wants you to turn lights on. As you start clicking on different blocks in the game, you'll find that based on the block you click, other lights will turn off. You'll need to find the right combination to get all the lights on in as few clicks as possible. It's much harder than it sounds. Try it out.
Try to get all those lights on in 25 Square Puzzle.
(Credit: Screenshot by Don Reisinger/CNET)Basketball Basketball is an extremely simple Opera widget, but it's also quite fun once you learn how to play.
Basketball places a basketball hoop to the left of your screen and a ball underneath the hoop. At the top of your screen, you'll find a scoreboard. The goal is to score as many points as possible within the allotted time. To do so, you'll need to click on the ball at the right angle to "shoot" it into the hoop. It's a tough game to get used to, but once you do, you'll probably find yourself sneaking games when no one is looking.
Basketball is a fun, addicting game.
(Credit: Screenshot by Don Reisinger/CNET)The economy is in a major state of flux right now. Although unemployment is still on the rise, the stock market is on the rise too as of late.
If you're one of those people trying to make sense of the markets, you might be happy to know that instead of jumping from site to site to get all your financial information, you can simply add some gadgets to your iGoogle home page. From currencies to commodities, iGoogle gadgets will satisfy any desire.
10 finance gadgets
Commodities Market If you're looking to find a way to easily track the price of oil and natural gas, the Commodities Market gadget is for you. The gadget displays the major commodity indexes, including crude oil, natural gas, and even coffee. You'll see the price fluctuate as market factors change throughout the day. It's a great way to stay up on the commodity market.
Stay up-to-date on commodities with Commodities Market.
(Credit: Screenshot by Don Reisinger/CNET)Company Overview After you install Company Overview, you can input any company's ticker symbol and see an overview of its operation. You can also get company news, see key financial ratios, check out its financial performance, and even see who the company's key managers are. If you want to listen in on quarterly earnings calls, you can find all the information you need to join those calls in this gadget. Check it out.
Company Overview displays a lot of great information.
(Credit: Screenshot by Don Reisinger/CNET)
As Internet-connected TVs become more popular, set makers are looking for ways to stand out from each other. Vizio, which made its name by undercutting much larger names in electronics on LCD sets, is no longer just looking to attract buyers at Costco. It's now trying to compete directly on the number of bells and whistles with the likes of Samsung, Panasonic, and Sony.
Announced in late June, Vizio's Via HDTV has some things going for it that its competitors' sets do not: integrated 802.11(n) Wi-Fi--which means no separate dongle for connecting to the Web--2GB of flash memory, and a well thought-out remote control.
The remote design is almost a no-brainer in retrospect, and makes you wonder why it hasn't been done before. It looks like a standard model, but with this one, Vizio took into account what the user would be doing with it: interacting with Web applications like Twitter, Facebook, Yahoo Sports, and Flickr. The TV maker put a slideout QWERTY keyboard on the back of the Bluetooth remote, so users can type as they would on some smartphones, instead of keying in letters one at a time. And, it doesn't seem to add much to the price of the Via HDTV: the 42-inch version will begin at $999 when it starts selling in stores in November.
Vizio is also looking to differentiate itself with developers who will create more applications for the TV. Yahoo developed its TV widget engine last year, which brings a range of preselected applications like Twitter, eBay, Flickr, Yahoo Sports, Showtime, and many others right onto the TV screen. Samsung, Sony, Panasonic, and Vizio each offer it. But Vizio says it wants to appeal to application developers, so it integrated Adobe Flash directly into its Via HDTV. ... Read more
Adobe AIR apps are some of the best designed, most useful applications you can have on your desktop. Last month, I highlighted 10 applications to try out, if you're thinking about using AIR apps. This time around, I want to take a look at 10 apps that will make you more productive. Trust me, they will help you save some time.
Be more productive
Agile Agenda Agile Agenda is a project management tool that helps project managers keep their team on track.
Agile Agenda is quite impressive. You can add your team and input information about the tasks you need to perform. You can set priority, dependencies, when a task should be completed, and more. You can also edit milestones so you can track how the project is coming along. Most importantly, the app's fantastic design makes it easy to use.
Agile Agenda gives you the option of trying it for 3 days or 30 days, or buying a license. If you're buying one license, the software will set you back $70. More licenses reduce the price.
Agile Agenda makes it much easier to manage projects.
(Credit: Screenshot by Don Reisinger/CNET)Doomi Doomi is an extremely simple to-do-list app that lets you quickly add items you need to complete. That list is displayed under the input box. You can set how long it should take to complete the task and mark the box next to it when it's complete. It's a simple app, but it's far more effective than writing your to-do list down.
Doomi keeps you on track with a to-do list.
(Credit: Screenshot by Don Reisinger/CNET)File Furnace File Furnace is a unique app. Instead of impressing you with a nice design and several menus, the app displays a simple image of a fire. Over that, the app displays a message that reads, "Drop unwanted files here." It also features the sound of a crackling fire. As long as you follow the directions of File Furnace, and drag and drop unwanted files or directories into the fire, it permanently removes them from your computer. It's a slightly unusual app, but it's much easier to delete files with File Furnace than waste time with the Recycle Bin.
File Furnace is unique--and quite useful.
(Credit: Screenshot by Don Reisinger/CNET)Yahoo widgets are designed to bridge the gap between the Web and your desktop. After you search through the company's listing of widgets and find what you like, you can download them onto your desktop.
But what if you're a social-networking fanatic? Certainly, being on the Web works fine for you, but Yahoo widgets might make it just a little easier to satisfy your desire to stay connected. Here are some Yahoo widgets that help you network with your friends right on your desktop.
Yahoo widgets for social networkers
Facebook Notifier Facebook Notifier tells you what's going on with your friends so you don't have to keep checking the social network to find out.
After you install Facebook Notifier, you'll need to authenticate your profile. From there, you can see status updates from all your friends. You'll also get real-time updates when messages filter in, you're poked, or you have some wall posts to check out. Whenever you click on one of those options, you'll be brought to the appropriate Facebook page in your browser to perform the desired action. Facebook Notifier won't give you as much control as other services in this roundup, but if all you want to do is see what's up with your friends, it's a good place to start.
Facebook Notifier gives you updates on just about everything.
(Credit: Screenshot by Don Reisinger/CNET)Facebook(er) Facebook(er) is a neat app. After you install it on your computer, the widget allows you to change your Facebook status, check your messages, update your friends with events, and more. You can also view pokes, requests, and group invites. It's like having Facebook on your desktop. Plus, thanks to a nice design, you should be relatively happy with how easy it is to perform those basic tasks.
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Facebook(er) makes you validate your credentials to start using it.
(Credit: Screenshot by Don Reisinger/CNET)I really like Opera (Windows | Mac) widgets. They all offer something unique. But I especially like the browser's science and math widgets.
If you're someone who just can't get enough of planets, you love building mathematical graphs, or you enjoy science, these widgets are for you.
Science widgets
Astronomy Picture of the Day Each day, when you load Astronomy Picture of the Day, it displays a picture it gets from NASA. When you click on that image, it gives you an in-depth description of what's being depicted and why it's important. I found it to be extremely informative. Practically anyone who likes astronomy should be pleased with Astronomy Picture of the Day.
Astronomy Picture of the Day gives you some beautiful images.
(Credit: Screenshot by Don Reisinger/CNET)Chinese Abacus If you want to get some addition, subtraction, multiplication, or division work done, look no further than than the Chinese Abacus widget. Much like the real thing, you can move the blocks up and down to keep count. The abacus will show a tally at the bottom to help you.
Before you start using it, beware that the Chinese Abacus widget requires some knowledge of the abacus to get it to work. Once you get the hang of it, you'll find that it makes performing basic math functions quite simple.
The Chinese Abacus widget is a really cool app.
(Credit: Screenshot by Don Reisinger/CNET)Functions 3D Functions 3D isn't for the novice mathematician. The widget lets you create a 3D structure based on a mathematical equation that you devise.
Once you set the X, Y, and Z boundaries, you'll create an equation to develop the figure you want to depict. You can create simple archways or complex statues by changing the equation to fit your needs. Functions 3D is one of the more powerful Opera widgets I've ever used. It's also one of the most difficult to understand.
Functions 3D helps you create 3D models with your equations.
(Credit: Screenshot by Don Reisinger/CNET)Since Adobe Systems relaunched its AIR marketplace, I've been spending some considerable time there. There are so many great apps, it's hard to pick just a handful worth talking about. But after taking some time to sift through all my apps, I've selected my favorites.
Adobe AIR aps
Adobe Media Player If you're a Photoshop, Premiere, or Dreamweaver user, the Adobe Media Player will come in handy. The app lets you watch a slew of videos that train you how to use Adobe's applications.
Although there are videos for advanced users, there are quite a few videos that help Photoshop novices find their way around the sophisticated program. You can also save your favorite videos and go step-by-step during instruction. It's a great app for anyone who wants to be creative.
Adobe Media Player teaches you how to use Adobe programs.
(Credit: Screenshot by Don Reisinger/CNET)AOL Top 100 Videos If you're a music lover, you'll love the AOL Top 100 Videos app. Instead of forcing you to go to YouTube to find videos or search through Google, AOL Top 100 Videos lets you watch them all right from the app. Besides having an outstanding design, the app lets you share clips with friends, create a "favorite videos" playlist, and pick the genre of music you like. The videos load quickly, and the quality is stellar.
AOL Top 100 Videos is perfect for music lovers.
(Credit: Screenshot by Don Reisinger/CNET)Desktop iPhone Desktop iPhone is one of the coolest apps in this roundup. You can experience the iPhone user interface, check the weather, and record voice messages. But the Desktop iPhone app's best feature is the ability to make phone calls from the app with an account from online phone company Ribbit. More features, including Google Maps, Calculator, and other options haven't been enabled.
Desktop iPhone lets you use the iPhone UI.
(Credit: Screenshot by Don Reisinger/CNET)
