application

"iPhonifying" Web pages

David Cann, the Web developer behind iPhoneDigg and iPhoneChat, has released an iPhone "skin" for Google Reader. Unlike his other iPhone Web apps, which create entirely new interfaces that are separately hosted, the Google Reader iPhone Skin employs the GreaseMonkey concept: injecting a new interface into a Web page on the fly by piggybacking Javascript while retaining the underlying functionality. Cann plans to apply this method of "iPhonifying" web pages to other sites in the near future. The Google Reader skin supports starring, viewing Subscriptions, viewing Folders, next/Previous Item and more.

iPhone simulation app gains zoom-to-fit function, goes open-source

The Mac OS X application iPhoney, which simulates an iPhone interface by using WebKit to render pages in 320x480 or 480x320 (depending on how the simulated iPhone is oriented), has been updated to version 1.1 [1.4MB download]. The primary new feature in this release is zoom-to-fit, which will resize Web pages to completely (width-wise) in the iPhone screen. However, there is still no function to emulate "tap-zooming" (zooming in on specific portions of a page) nor touch-scrolling.

The new release also adds the ability to turn off plug-ins (including Flash, which is not supported by the … Read more

Throw a sheep at your friends on Facebook

Does "owning" a friend on Facebook sound more appealing than merely poking him?

Three new applications take the "poke" button on Facebook further.

Kathleen's wild 'n' crazy poking application lets users send a customized poke. The first step is identifying the "victim," followed by "method of attack" (impaled; nuzzled; duct-taped with, for example, a rusty spoon; chocolate-covered raisins, and so forth) and place of attack (eye, outer space, lung, teeth). This application works with Facebook but is separate from it--a big turnoff.

XMe lets its users change the default verb that … Read more

Serena integrates portfolio management acquisition

Serena Software on Monday announced it has integrated project and portfolio management software which it acquired from Pacific Edge last year with its existing application development products.

The software, called Mariner, is designed to let development managers and other IT executives to get more detailed information on the status of ongoing projects.

The application can gather information from Serena's other products, namely its TeamTrack defect tracking tool and Dimensions CM program for gathering application requirements.

By rolling up that data and combining it with budgeting information, Mariner creates a dashboard view of application development projects.

"CIOs haven't … Read more

Smart-phone users just want to have fun

Sure, smart phone users need productivity and work programs, but according to Handango's Yardstick (the company's quarterly sales report of software for smart phones and PDAs,) they also want entertainment applications, games, and even dieting software.

Business software was the most popular category (17 percent of sales), but entertainment apps (13 percent), and games (12 percent) weren't far behind. In fact, the BlackBerry best-seller list had three ringtone, one instant messenger, and one poker game applications.

An Outlook syncing program, PocketMirror Standard, topped the Palm OS list, and synchronization applications did well across the board, as expected. … Read more

Top 5 Crapware

Ever get a new computer full of trial programs that crap out after a month and other buggy accessories you never asked for? Me too. Time to count down the worst offenders of these kinds of applications in this week's CNET Top 5

If you have your own list of your favorite offenders, post 'em in the comments section.

Oracle-SAP lawsuit: more grist for the grind

Within the next four weeks, Oracle plans to amend its trade secret lawsuit against arch-rival SAP AG and the company's TomorrowNow subsidiary. With the amendment, more details are expected to emerge in the dog-fight between the two giants in the enterprise applications industry.

According to court documents filed in the U.S. District Court for Northern California, Oracle intends to file its first amended complaint sometime between Sunday and May 18. After it files its amendment, SAP will have 20 days to formally respond to the allegations, the court documents state.

The legal wrangling centers on allegations that TomorrowNow, … Read more

'Zune phone' patent application surfaces in series of tubes

There have been plenty of Zune 2.0 rumors recently--flash memory, a "watermelon" version this summer, and what-have-you. Now here's another one to add to the pile; Engadget recently pointed us to a "Zune phone" interface patent application unearthed by Mad4MobilePhones. It appears to be a sort of "tiled" setup for for "improved user interface for mobile devices such as smartphones" and "personal digital assistants." Looks like a fancy Bingo card to me.

Engadget pointed out that some of the icons appear to point to weather, music, and the … Read more

Text messaging for your voice

When I first came across Pinger, I was intrigued. It's billed as "text messaging for your voice," which conjured images in my mind of a free, accurate transcription program. I would love to dictate my text messages; it would be like having a miniature secretary in your phone.

Pinger allows users to send quick mobile-to-mobile voice messages. After setting up a free account, you call into Pinger's service, say the name of the contact you want to reach, and record your message. The service then shoots a text notification (standard text rates apply) to the recipient, … Read more