The Best Android Tablet Apps for Communication

From tablet-based texting to social media management, these Android tablet apps are at the top of their class when it comes to communication.

Android Tablet Apps: The Communication Collection:

We humans are social creatures, and technology has made us more connected than ever. Armed with an Android tablet, you can take your communication to new heights--if you have the right set of apps in your arsenal. After countless hours of searching and testing, I've pulled together some of the finest communication programs available for Android tablets today. All of them are optimized to take advantage of a tablet-size screen, and all of them offer standout features that will add power to your shiny Android slate. Ready to load up your tablet? Read on.

1. SyncSMS: 

Still relying on your carrier's text messaging service? Grab SyncSMS, a nifty little app that lets you send and receive standard SMS messages on your Android tablet. SyncSMS actually runs simultaneously on your phone and your tablet. The initial setup is a bit involved, as you have to install the app on both devices and also provide credentials for a new or existing Dropbox account (which the app uses to store data temporarily as it syncs messages). Once configured, though, SyncSMS is as smooth as silk; incoming texts pop up on your tablet with threaded conversations and contact photos in place, and composing new texts is incredibly easy. SyncSMS costs $3.

2. Wikitude World Browser:

Bring a social layer into the real world with the free Wikitude World Browser for Android tablets. Wikitude harnesses your device's GPS function to give you detailed user-generated information about your surroundings. The app offers an interactive map filled with tweets sent from folks in your area, user reviews written about nearby locations, local businesses with lots of check-ins, and Flickr photos captured close by. You can find restaurant lists and Wikipedia articles, too.


3. Reddita:

Social sharing service Reddit has a rabidly devoted fan base, and if you're among their number, the Reddita Android tablet app is ready and waiting to serve you well. Reddita, created by a third-party developer, gives you a great tablet-optimized interface for keeping up with all the latest Reddit chatter. You can browse through the site's many categories ("subreddits") to view items and then tap on any item to bring up its content--whether it's plain text or an embedded link--within a separate on-screen panel. You can also scroll through Reddit's threaded comments, of course, and leave your own witty remarks. Reddita supports up- and down-voting, customizable notifications, and messaging for signed-in users. The app is free but ad-supported; an ad-free version is available for $1.60.


4. Plume for Twitter: 

When it comes to Twitter and tablets, Plume for Twitter is without a doubt at the top of the pack. Plume gives you an elegant interface for keeping up with your tweets: Its main screen shows three customizable columns for viewing your timeline, mentions, and any searches or lists you like. Tapping a tweet brings up a larger window with any relevant images plus options for replying, retweeting, and viewing the poster's profile. Plume even has its own optional built-in browser so you can open attached links without having to exit the program. The main Plume app is free but ad-supported; you can go ad-free with a $5 "premium" upgrade.


5. IM+ 

If you use multiple instant messaging services, IM+ is the app for you. IM+ connects numerous types of IM accounts into a single streamlined interface, giving you a simple way to chat with pals without having to install a dozen different programs. IM+ works with AIM, Google Talk, ICQ, MSN, Skype, Yahoo, and several other popular platforms. It supports photo- and audio-file sending as well as group chats, so it's perfect for conversing with your friends and colleagues. You can even set up multiple accounts within the same IM service. IM+ is free but ad-supported; for an ad-free environment, you can buy the optional IM+ Pro upgrade for $5.

6. Google Voice:

Don't let the plain-vanilla style of this app deter you from realizing its full power. Google's free Google Voice service gives you unlimited text messaging and powerful voicemail management, and together with the Google Voice app, it lets you keep up with conversations on your tablet, too. The free Google Voice app puts your inbox front and center, with all of your SMS and voicemail messages displayed in a single streamlined list (just as they are on the Google Voice website or Android phone app). You can search archived messages, browse by label, and compose new messages. The Google Voice app provides full notification functionality as well, so you can receive an alert on your tablet anytime a new message comes in.

7. Friendcaster for Facebook:

Facebook has yet to release an Android app that's truly optimized for tablets, but that doesn't mean you have to suffer. Just download Friendcaster for Facebook, the free third-party Facebook app that does make tablets a priority. Friendcaster, now for phones and tablets both, lets you keep up with your News Feed and post status updates from an intuitive, tablet-oriented interface. The app provides full support for Facebook photos and messages, as well as for groups, events, and pages (Facebook chat is not integrated directly into the app, but is available via a free add-on). Friendcaster has optional notifications, too, if you like to get alerts when new activity happens. An ad-free version costs $5.

8. Google+:

And another from the Google family: the company's official Google+ Android app, available for free in Google Play (Android Market). The Google+ app offers tablet-friendly functionality for a slew of Google+ features, including the network's Messenger instant-messaging utility and its Hangouts tool for on-the-go video chat. Google+ also provides an "instant upload" option that can automatically sync photos from your tablet to a private online album, making the images instantly available on any computer or mobile device. The Google+ app, like the service, is free to use.
Source: PC World

Update: Cyberwar Articles

Original, unaltered Grim Reaper wallpaper is available for download here.

• Confirmed: US and Israel created Stuxnet, lost control of it
  In 2011, the US government rolled out its “International Strategy for Cyberspace,” which reminded us that “interconnected networks link nations more closely, so an attack on one nation’s networks may have impact far beyond its borders.” An in-depth report from the New York Times confirms the truth of that statement as it finally lays bare the history and development of the Stuxnet virus—and how it accidentally escaped from the Iranian nuclear facility that was its target.
• Spy malware infecting Iranian networks is engineering marvel to behold
  Malware recently found infecting Middle Eastern networks is so complex and sophisticated that it’s probably an advanced cyber-weapon unleashed by a wealthy country to wage a protracted espionage campaign on Iran, researchers from some of the world’s leading security companies said.
• Tiny banking trojan can do a lot of damage
  Security experts at CSIS say that they have discovered the smallest online banking trojan yet. Called Tiny Banker (Tinba), the malware is just barely 20 KB in size, including its configuration files.
• How a trio of hackers brought Google’s reCAPTCHA to its knees
  Google revamped its reCAPTCHA system, used to block automated scripts from abusing its online services, just hours before a trio of hackers unveiled a free system that defeats the widely used challenge-response tests with more than 99 percent accuracy.
• FTC to investigate Facebook purchase of Instagram
  U.S. antitrust regulators sent a “second notice” to Facebook earlier this month regarding investigation, according to Reuters.
• Google told by EC to play ball or face a trial
  The European Commission is warning Google to change its search methods or the company will be forced into court over antitrust issues.
• New Microsoft EULA fine print nixes class action
  Microsoft is changing its end-user license for unspecified consumer software and hardware products to eliminate users’ ability to engage in class-action lawsuits.
• Apple’s Crystal Prison and the Future of Open Platforms
  Two weeks ago, Steve Wozniak made a public call for Apple to open its platforms for those who wish to tinker, tweak and innovate with their internals. EFF supports Wozniak’s position: while Apple’s products have many virtues, they are marred by an ugly set of restrictions on what users and programmers can do with them.
• No More Start Menu Hacks in Windows 8 Release Preview
  In addition to the wide range of other changes that the almost-here Release Preview of Windows 8 is expected to pack in terms of performance and visual design, there might also be some that could make some users very unhappy.
• Fedora 18 to support UEFI Secure Boot
  Matthew Garrett, kernel developer at Red Hat, has given details of the plans to ship Fedora 18 with the ability to boot under UEFI secure boot. The Secure Boot technology of UEFI will be enabled by default on future Windows 8 hardware and is designed to ensure that only appropriately digitally signed operating systems will boot.
• Cannot access secured Web sites after OS X update
  Inconsistent symptoms suggest several approaches people can try to get certificate-based Web communication working properly.
• Facebook’s traffic from Google and Bing takes a nosedive
  New stats show that ever since Google launched “Search Plus Your World,” referral traffic to Facebook has been halved. Oddly, though, the same thing has happened with Bing traffic too.
• Google Apps for Business receives ISO 27001 certification
  Google Enterprise Director of Security Eran Feigenbaum has announced that the Google Apps for Business web-based productivity suite has received ISO/IEC 27001 certification. This means that the company’s online business suite has now been certified to comply with the IT security family of standards which governs “explicit managed control” of information security.
• Microsoft ticks off advertisers with IE10 ‘Do Not Track’ policy
  The “Do Not Track” feature will be turned on by default in Internet Explorer 10, a move that’s upsetting the advertising community.
• Skip Internet Explorer for Web Dev. Save $100,000
  An interesting story about a new startup that is avoiding developing for IE since it costs more money. “To save more than $100,000, 4ormat decided to skip Internet Explorer, opting to only allow users to access its service through Mozilla’s Firefox and Google Chrome browsers.”
• Mozilla official article: “To have the Australis theme up for review next week”
  After numerous mockups and expressed user desires (and a serious amount of positive feedback), it seems that, according to an official blog post, the Firefox developers are “to have the Australis theme up for review next week”, meaning the new Australis theme is to probably land in Firefox in the near future (probably first in its nightly and BETA channels).
• 2012′s Best Linux desktop: Linux Mint 13
  The Linux Mint distribution keeps getting better and better with its own take on GNOME, the Cinnamon Linux desktop.
• Wine 1.5.5 adds support for Mono as an add-on package
  Version 1.5.5 of the Wine open source Windows API implementation has been released. The most notable changes include the addition of support for installing the .NET 4.0 runtime and for installing Mono as a Wine add-on package.
• SkyDrive Support Coming to GNOME 3.6
  On May 31st, Debarshi Ray, a developer for the GNOME Project, announced on his blog that initial support for SkyDrive has been implemented in the daily builds of the GNOME Documents app, via the GNOME Online Accounts software by using a Windows Live account.
• Virtual currency exchange ‘good idea’ yet tough to establish
  The concept of a virtual currency exchange, in which gamers can sign up with to trade their in-game currency with other types of virtual money as well as real-world ones, may seem a “good idea”. However, it will be difficult to set up and flourish due to regulatory constraints and lack of game operators’ buy-in.
  
  Source: http://www.howtogeek.com/115564/week-in-geek-u.s-and-israel-caught-operating-as-partners-in-cyberwarfare-scandal/?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=030612

IM+: Instant Messaging for Android Tablets

IM+: Instant Messaging for Android

 

v. 6.2.4 Changelog

Chat within Beep, Facebook®, Skype™, MSN/Live Messenger®, Google Talk™, Yahoo!®, AIM/iChat®, ICQ®, MySpace, RenRen, Jabber, VKontakte, Odnoklassniki.Ru, Mail.Ru Agent and Yandex IM!

Connect everywhere on every social platform!

With IM+ you will stay connected to your friends, family and business contacts anytime and anywhere.
All-in-one communication tool at your fingertips!
Read further to see how IM+ can revolutionize your mobile social world.
Get ad-free full version or download free, ad-supported IM+
Introducing Beep instant messaging service, free alternative to SMS and MMS! Learn more

Beyond its shiny new interface, the big addition to IM+ is its support for Android's native Share tool. Now you can select text from other apps or your browser and easily add it to an instant message through IM+. Sure, this seems like a basic feature, but that's precisely why it's a big deal that IM+ is finally getting it.
Additionally, IM+ now offers group chats for AIM, iChat, and ICQ, an IM+ widget that lets you change your status from your Android Home screen, and the option to select different notifications (sound, vibrate, LED) for active chats.
IM+ version 5.0 is available now for free in the Android Market. You can also upgrade to the ad-free IM+ Pro for $9.99.

Features

Beep: free mobile-to-mobile in-app messenger! Beep brings your address book contacts into instant messaging and helps you saving on SMS and MMS. Learn more Stay connected across all messaging systems All your friends from all accounts are integrated into one buddy list. Access multiple accounts at the same time and chat with people across various networks without switching or changing a thing. No pre-registration required. NEW! Now with RenRen instant messaging service (Cheers to our users from China!) Tablet-optimized UI IM+ is out-of-the-box ready for convenient use on Android-based tablet computer. Sleek two-panel interface allows to quickly switch between chat windows and contacts. Skype, MSN/WLM, AOL/AIM/iChat and ICQ group chats Invite your friends and enjoy group conversations. Now with Skype topics! Free instant messaging All messages sent within IM+ are free. Now with photo and sound files sending! IM+ supports typing notifications and is able to deliver incoming messages in Push mode on Android OS 2.2 or later. Just one window All your open dialogues and unread messages are visible from the same window, so you can be sure you won't miss a thing! Hold multiple conversations over multiple networks, all on a single screen. Widget, avatars, emoticons, custom statuses and message templates You want it, we got it! IM+ offers the ultimate selection of tools to provide you with the best mobile messaging experience! User interface in English, Spanish, German, French, Italian, Portuguese, Turkish, Dutch, Arabic, Russian, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Thai, Polish and Ukrainian Compact Mode UI to fit smaller displays

As IM+ makes its presence known in the Android market, the developers at SHAPE do everything they can to bring you the best, most comprehensive messaging app Android has ever seen. Users' feedback is always appreciated and considered, especially as improvements and additions are continuously being made. IM+ all-in-one instant messenger for Google Nexus One, HTC EVO 4G, Motorola Droid, Motorola Xoom, Samsung Galaxy Tab and other Android smartphones and tablets brings you the new level of social experience, making it easier to stay in touch with your family, have fun with your friends, make business deals with your partners, and live a connected life!

10 Instant Messaging Apps for the iPhone

By Mark Crump Jul. 15, 2009, 1:00pm PT 55 Comments

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When push notification finally made its way to the iPhone, a lot of people were anticipating IMs pushed to their iPhone. At first, I scoffed at this idea. I’d always figured IMs were based around the “instant” part of the phrase, and someone pushing an IM to me might be disappointed if I don’t get back to them right away. Well, guess who’s been a big iPhone IM-er since 3.0 came out? Go on, you’ll never guess. Yep, it’s me. I’d like my crow with a side of au jus, and a loaded baked potato, please.

First a quick word of warning: by no means are my comments here to be construed as any sort of a formal review. While I’ve tried to run all of these apps through their paces, I wouldn’t feel comfortable calling any of my comments a review — they’re more like first impressions.
That said, while there are 10 apps we tested out, it quickly became clear to me this was a race between Beejive and IM+ Push. The important criteria for me were: the ability to connect to multiple IM protocols (and multiple accounts of the same protocol), the ability to do push notifications, and the app not requiring its own server-side account to operate. Price, as they say, was no object. When you get right down to it, the difference between many of these apps is only $5-7. My afternoon brownie indulgence costs more than that.
Over the last week, I’ve been receiving push notifications from at least one of these apps during testing, if not more than one, and I didn’t notice a detrimental effect on my battery life — with the usual disclaimer that if I spent my entire train ride home IMing friends, I’d see a battery hit.
Without further ado, here are my findings.
IM+ Push ($9.99)
IM+ Push is a very full-featured app with two specific features I enjoyed: I can set how long I’m online for up to three days (perfect for getting through a weekend); and I can change the wallpaper behind the messages. However, I found the app overall a tad on the slow side. As a speed comparison, by the time I had opened IM+ and viewed the IM, I would have also replied to the IM in Beejive. While it does claim to connect to Skype, I had some issues getting it connected, and never got a push from Skype.
IM+ Lite (Free)
IM+ Lite is the free version of IM+ Push and the only differences between the two are that you can’t change the wallpaper and the push notifications are email only.
Beejive ($9.99)
I found Beejive to be the fastest app in my tests. I could very quickly see what IMs had arrived, preview them and reply to them. Like IM+, I can change the background, but I can only be online for up to 24 hours (which was the standard time period for all the apps). There was one nice feature I found in Beejive that I couldn’t find a corresponding setting for in IM+: I can set how long I show as “available” after I close the app. One of the chief complaints from people I was IMing during this test were the frequent “crumpy is available”/”crumpy is away” notifications they were receiving. By staying “available” for 20 minutes, the person I was IMing with had a much better experience. It was a minor detail I hadn’t thought of until a few people complained about it.
One other feature I liked is I can set how many IMs from contacts are shown when I launch the app. The default is I only see the most recent message from each contact, but I set it do display more, up to and including all messages.
Agile Messenger with Push ($9.99)
For the price, I found Agile Messenger to be a very poor solution. You can only connect to one account of each protocol (I have two AIM accounts: my personal and a work one). I also found the type size on the IMs to be too small to read, and there was noticeable lag when typing.
AIM ($2.99/Free)
There are two AIM apps from AOL, one that’s free and one that’s $2.99. I’m grouping them together since the only differences between the two are that the free one has ads and the paid version does not. While I found the app to be very responsive, there are two big issues I had: I can only be signed into one AIM account, and all push notifications have an SMS-style popup. I couldn’t stop the pop-ups, but I could control how much information was displayed — the ranges are from “new IM” to the full contents of the IM, including sender information. The only reasons I’d recommend this app is if money really is an object, you only have one AIM account, and don’t mind the obtrusive pop-ups.
Yahoo! (Free)
Well, about all I can say is, “Yep, it connected to Yahoo.” You can only connect to one Yahoo account and there is no push notification, nor any announced plans for push.
Palringo (Free)
In my tests, Palringo failed on liftoff. It requires a server-side account, and when I went to setup the account via the iPhone app, the captcha image didn’t even display — really, who needs captcha on an iPhone app? The app does not currently do push, although as of this writing they have submitted a push version for approval. At this point, for a free IM app, I’d recommend IM+ Lite over this one.
Skype (Free)
Since the purpose of this article is IM apps, I’m going to gloss over the voice portion of the Skype app, which is arguable its greatest benefit. However, I was able to connect to my Skype account and IM with friends just fine. There are no push notifications for IMs, however.
Fuze (Free)
Fuze is another one that requires its own server-side account to run. You can also only connect to one account of each protocol, and there are no push notifications. Also, for some reason even after quitting the app, it kept me online, but I didn’t receive a test message I sent myself when I logged back in. As with Palringo, if you need an IM app that’s free, go with IM+ Lite.

Chart of Instant Messenger Features

And the winners are!

For free apps, IM+ Lite blew the doors off the competition. I could connect to multiple protocols and multiple accounts.
In the paid category, while it was a close race, I felt Beejive edged out IM+ Push. While the ability to stay online longer than 24 hours was nice, I felt the speed and the ability to quickly see received IMs edged Beejive over the finish line.
As always, we welcome your comments about what IM apps you prefer.
Related research and analysis from GigaOM Pro:
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• Mobile Q4: All Eyes Were on Android, 4G and the Rising Tablet Tide
• Report: A Mobile Video Market Overview
• In Q3, the Tablet and 4G Were the Big Stories

Source: http://gigaom.com/apple/10-instant-messaging-apps-for-the-iphone/

Top 5 IM instant messenger apps for iPhone

TiPb checks out the best, most must-have IM/Instant Messenger apps to load up on your iPhone- by Allyson Kazmucha, Monday, Jan 31, 2011 at 11:45 am

Interested in knowing which are the best, most must-have instant messenger (IM) apps for your iPhone? Eager to get you chat on via AIM/MobileMe, MSN/Windows Live, Yahoo!, GoogleTalk, Facebook, MySpace, and/or Jabber but need to know which client supports what and how well? Well read on for TiPb's top 5 most recommended IM/instant messenger clients for iPhone!

Beejive IM

Beejive is probably one of the most popular IM clients for iOS, and for good reason. It supports almost any messenger client you can think of and is completely customizable. Beejive has been making IM clients for a very long time, and it shows. I remember purchasing Beejive for my Blackberry several years ago. Even then, it was an extremely reliable choice.
It comes packed with features such as support for multiple accounts, push notifications, picture sharing, custom backgrounds and chat bubbles, and much more. I have always found it to be extremely efficient and easy to use. Most hardcore users prefer Beejive due to the amount of clients it supports. It also has the longest session option I've ever seen, which is 7 days (eBuddy also offers 7 day support). This means less time outs and having to re-connect.
Beejive has support for the following IM clients -

• AIM/MobileMe
• Facebook IM
• Google Talk
• Jabber
• MSN/Windows Live
• Myspace IM
• Yahoo! Messenger

[$9.99 - iTunes Link]

eBuddy Pro

eBuddy is another IM client that has a pretty large user base. It boasts several great features such as themes, push notifications, picture sharing, and much more. eBuddy also offers a free version of the app that is ad supported and has fewer features. So you can always try before you buy.
When it comes to comparing eBuddy with other clients, it seems to offer about the same Beejive does. A lot of it is really going to come down to personal preference. I personally prefer the overall layout and setup of Beejive but if Beejive wasn't around, I'd have no issues using eBuddy as my full time messaging client.
eBuddy has support for the following IM clients -

• AIM
• MSN/WIndows Live
• Google Talk
• ICQ
• Hyve
• Yahoo! Messenger
• Facebook Chat
• Myspace IM

[$4.99 - iTunes Link]

IM+

While eBuddy and Beejive have rather large user bases, so does IM+. These are probably the three most used clients for iPhone users. IM+ offers just as much as the previous two. And again, it'll probably come down to personal preference. It boasts most of the same features of the previous two but also has some other features that make it unique such as viewing Twitter feeds and advanced chat histories. I like the fact that you can access chat history on your device or on the web. This can be extremely convenient for people who need to save chat histories for work reasons.
IM+ also offers a free "lite" version if you'd like to try before you buy. It supports the following IM clients -

• AIM
• MSN/Windows Live
• Google Talk
• Facebook Chat
• Myspace IM
• ICQ
• Twitter
• Jabber
• Skype

[$9.99 - iTunes Link]

Verbs

A lot of people may be asking why I'm including a client that doesn't support half the features the big 3 support. The answer to that for me is simple; Verbs looks like a client Apple themselves wrote. The UI itself is simply gorgeous. As of now, Verbs doesn't support the feature set the others boast, but I think it's a client to keep our eye on.
If the developers of Verbs can add support for several more clients and integrate a lot of the same powerful features, they'll do very well. Currently Verbs only supports local notifications, meaning if you close out the app from multitasking, you won't receive notifications. This is what's keeping me from using it on a daily basis. If they can issue updates to better the app in a timely manner, I think they'll acquire a pretty good sized user base. It's also a bit cheaper than some of the other options.
Verbs currently supports the following IM clients -

• AIM/MobileMe
• Google Talk

[$2.99 - iTunes Link]

Kik Messenger

Kik Messenger has an extremely easy to use interface and push is extremely quick. But there's a catch. Kik is proprietary. The other user must be using Kik messenger also. They provide cross-platform support for iOS, Android, and Blackberry. The downside is that you won't be able to link AIM and some other popular messaging clients. If your messaging needs are small and the few people you need to talk to have Kik (or you can get them to download it), this will work just fine. Apps like Whatsapp Messenger and Ping! also offer the same proprietary system as well. It'll really come down to which you prefer to use the most (and probably which one your friends use).
[Free - iTunes Link]

Bonus: Official IM apps

If you only use one IM/chat service and for some reason really want the "official" iPhone app for that service, you're in luck -- there are several in the app store:

• AIM AOL Instant Messenger comes in 2 versions, free with adds and cheap without adds. [Free - iTunes link] and [$2.99 - iTunes link]
• Facebook has built-in chat as well as feed, messages, places, groups, events, photos, and more. [Free - iTunes link]
• Myspace gives you access to chat as well as updates, photos, comments, messages and more. [Free - iTunes link]
• Skype not only lets you use Skype chat but also make VoIP and even video calls. [Free - iTunes link]
• Twitter is technically less IM and more DM (Direct Message) but if you want to chat in 140 characters this is the app. [Free - iTunes link]
• Windows Live Messenger with support for Windows Live, Y!, and Facebook, as well as social feeds for Facebook, Flickr, and Myspace, and access to Hotmail. [Free - iTunes link]

Your top apps?

So there you have them, our top 5 best iPhone IM instant messenger apps to get you going. Be sure to check out our Picks of the Week and iPhone App and Games Forum for more recommendations, and if we missed any of your favorites leave them in the comments below!

Allyson Kazmucha
Jailbreak, Mod, and DIY editor at iMore, Founder of PXLFIX, Potter pundit, the ninja in your iOS.
More Posts - Website

Source: http://www.imore.com/2011/01/31/app-roundup-iphone-instant-messenger-clients/

The Kobo Vox Vs The Kindle Fire and Nook Color

Canadian e-reading company Kobo has quietly launched its answer to the recently-launched and much anticipated Amazon Kindle Fire: its very own priced-for-the-masses 7-inch tablet named the Kobo Vox.
As you may have guessed, the Vox was named after “Vox Populi” which is Latin for “voice of the people.” The Kobo aims to bring just that, a voice to the people at a price most can afford. According to the company, its new tablet will be priced at $200 ($199.99, if you want to be exact). That’s the same price as the Amazon Kindle Fire and $50 less than the Barnes & Noble Nook Color at $250.
It has been available to preorder since the company announced it just this Wednesday, October 19, and will begin shipping on October 28 giving it an over two-week head start over the similarly-priced Kindle Fire.

One of the most notable feature of the Kobo Vox is its 7-inch touch screen. It is an FFS+ screen with a resolution of 1024×600 pixels. Kobo claims that the FFS+ (fringe field switching plus) screen of the Vox, dubbed to be a “vivid color display”, performs exceptionally well even when reading outdoors. The Kindle Fire and the Nook Color have 7 inchers with the same resolutions as the Kobo Voxs’ screens so the Vox should offer the same pixel density on its screen as Amazon’s and Barnes & Noble’s  offerings.
The technology is actually not very new as AFFPS+ has been around since 2007. AFFPS, the predecessor to the AFFPS+ and I’m guessing the FFPS+ display technologies has also been around longer. It is uncommon, however, for a consumer product to get it as most manufacturers use the tech in industry applications like on the screens for airplane cockpits. AFFS has also been used in laptop screens. You’ve probably heard of IPS (in-plane switching) displays as this technology is also used by manufacturers for consumer products like tablets and smartphones. Both technologies promise superior color and contrast performance.
Another thing Kobo touts its Vox to be is being the world’s first social e-reader. Vox uses the Kobo Pulse platform which the company says has improved on the Reading Life social reading platform. With Kobo Pulse, users “can leave reviews, start conversations, and share comments and thoughts in real-time with others who are reading the same book, all within the book itself,” the company says. Reading Life and Pulse are said to be the first platform recognized and integrated with Facebook Ticker and Timeline.
So how does the Kobo Box measure up to the Amazon Kindle Fire and the Barnes & Noble Nook Color. We chose these instead of comparing them with the ubiquitous iPad since these three devices really are the straightforward rivals of each other even though people may also see them as iPad challengers. Why? It’s because they all come from companies which focus on electronic reading.

The Kobo Vox is pretty much the same as the Kindle Fire and Nook Color specs-wise. The Vox uses an 800MHz processor while the Nook Color uses an 800MHz ARM Cortex-A8 processor and Kindle Fire uses a dual-core Texas Instruments OMAP 4 processor. I guess we’ll only know the clock speed of the Fire once someone over at iSuppli or other firms conduct a teardown of the tablet when it arrives mid-November.
Both the Fire and Vox have an advantage over the Nook Color in terms of apps, however, as Amazon says the Fire has over 16,000 apps available while the Vox has over 15,000 FREE apps. The Nook Color only has over 700. Touting the Vox content offering, Kobo says that it is preloaded with:

• Magazines from Zinio® – plus 12 FREE popular magazines for Kobo Vox owners
• Newspapers from PressReader™ – over 1,900 full newspapers from around the world – and a gift of 7 newspapers of your choice!
• Massive selection of music from RDIO® – with a 7 day free trial
• Get social with Twitter® & Facebook®
• Book lover must-have: Merriam Webster’s Dictionary
• Games like Cut the Rope®
• Apps – over 15,000 FREE apps
• Kobo and Facebook widgets that sit right on the home screen
• Access to more music and video services in the app store

In terms of weight, the Vox comes in at 14.2 ounces versus the Kindle Fire’s 14.6 ounces and the Nook Color’s 15.8 ounces. All of the tablets offer WiFi 802.11 b/g/n. Their operating systems are all Android. Amazon’s Fire, however, uses a heavily customized version of Android integrated directly to its stores. The Vox runs on Android 2.3 Gingerbread while the Nook Color uses Android 2.2 Froyo.
All three tablets have 8GB in internal memory but one advantage the Vox has over the Kindle Fire is it’s microSD slot capable of accommodating up to a 32GB card. The Nook Color has the same capability. However, Amazon touts its free cloud storage as the answer to the absence of a external memory slot. It says people can delete and download again previously-purchased contents via Amazon stores so they actually only need 8GB. Nonetheless, The Vox also offers unlimited cloud storage via Kobo Cloud so it trumps both the Kindle Fire and Nook Color here.
The Vox also has 512MB in RAM, similar to that of the Nook Color and we’re not quite sure about what RAM the Fire has, yet. In terms of battery life, the Kindle Fire is estimated to last 8 hours, the Nook Color also 8 hours and the Vox 7-8 hours, according to reports.

It would be interesting to see how this social angle on the e-reader/tablet niche Kobo has taken will play out. Amazon is surely marketing the Kindle Fire as an e-reader as well as a media hub for digital content including music and videos (TV shows and movies) available through its store. It’s also important to note that Kobo does not have the same scale of content available in its repositories when compared to the content available on Amazon and Barnes & Noble. Will the company strike gold with social e-reading?

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Install almost any Android App on the Kindle Fire

From pcmag.com

The new Amazon Kindle Fire is a powerful, dual-core Android tablet for only $200. It doesn't have the quarter-million apps from the Android Market, though; by default, you can only load the "thousands" of apps in Amazon's App Store.

But that's OK. If you have an Android phone around, you can use free tools to load almost any Android app onto the Kindle Fire. You don't need to hack, alter, or "root" your phone or tablet to do this, and Amazon doesn't oppose sideloading apps.

The Kindle Fire can install any app in the standard Android APK format, but I strongly suggest only installing apps you've moved over from a phone or downloaded from a major app store. You can find APKs scattered around the Internet on various sites, but don't use those, even for free apps.

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Why not? Developers can't track APKs that are just floating around the Net, so they don't know their apps are being used. That discourages developers, especially small developers, from upgrading and making new apps. Peer-to-peer app piracy sites are also sinks of malware, as they have none of the safeguards you'll find on an app store.

So here's how to move any app from an Android phone running Gingerbread (Android 2.3) to a Kindle Fire. It's a lot of steps, but I'm just being very clear; they go quickly.

Installing Apps on Kindle Fire, Step by Step

• Make sure your phone has a MicroSD card installed. Even a small one will do.
• On your phone, go to the Market and download Astro File Manager. It's free.
• This next part is the only tricky one. You must make sure Astro backs up the apps to your external SD card, not to the phone's internal memory. That's the default on some phones, but not on others. So …
• Open Astro and choose File Manager.
• Hit Menu, then Preferences.
• Pick "Backup Directory"
• Click the little folder button.
• Click the Up button until the directory displayed is /mnt
• If there's a folder called "sdcard-ext" "external-sd" or something else that's external, pick that. Otherwise, pick "sdcard".
• Click OK twice, then Back three times.
• Choose "Application Backup."
• Check the apps you want to move to the Fire, and click Backup.
• Now hook your phone up to your PC using a USB cable. Open the drive which appears on your PC, and look for the "backups" folder. Open the "apps" folder within backups. Copy all the APK files from there onto your PC.
• Now pick up your Kindle Fire. Go to the Amazon Appstore and download "Easy Installer." It's free.
• Plug your Kindle Fire into your PC using a USB cable.
• When the Kindle Fire drive appears on your PC, dump the APK files into it.
• Disconnect the Fire from the PC.
• On the Kindle Fire pick Apps, then Easy Installer.
• Pick an app and choose Install Selected Apps.
• Your app will now appear on the Kindle Fire's App bookshelf! Enoy!

Continue Reading: What's Compatible?>

"

What's Compatible With Kindle Fire?
I tried more than a dozen apps on the Fire and found some general rules.

• Amazon isn't blocking anything. There's no problem with apps that compete with Amazon's own services. Nook runs really well on the Kindle Fire. So does the Dolphin HD browser.
• Most apps work, including paid apps. I moved two paid games, Cut the Rope and X Construction, over to the Fire without a problem. A third paid game, Safari HD, wouldn't transfer.
• "Bloatware" or device specific apps probably won't work. The copy of Blockbuster specifically for Motorola phones didn't install.
• Official Google apps that require logins won't work. That means no Market, no Gmail, no Books. Translate, YouTube and Maps work, because they don't require logins.

Here's what I tested and what runs.

Astrid
Cut the Rope
Dolphin Browser HD
Dropbox
Evernote
Fruit Ninja
Google Maps
Google Translate
Guardian Anywhere
LastPass
NewsRob (Google Reader)
Nook
NY Times
Radio.com
Slacker
TV.com
X Construction 
YouTube 

Here's what doesn't run.

Android MarketBlockbusterGoogle BooksGmailFacebook

Have you tried sideloading apps onto the Kindle Fire? If so, tell us in the comments below.

Source: http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2396276,00.asp

Kindle Fire Review

• December 30, 2011
  
• By Erez Zukerman

It’s a brand new year, and I am proud to be part of something brand new here at MakeUseOf: An independent hardware review followed by a giveaway. We’ve done plenty of giveaways before, mostly for software, but also for very cool hardware such as the Nikon D3000 dSLR. Today we’ll be giving away an Amazon Kindle Fire tablet to one lucky reader, but we took the time to test it first, and we have a complete review of what it’s like. We actually bought this Kindle Fire – this giveaway is not sponsored by Amazon or anyone else, so the review is not biased. Just because we’re giving one away doesn’t mean it’s a perfect device (otherwise we’d just keep it all for ourselves!).
Oh, and the Kindle Fire is originally a US-only device – so if you’re outside of the States, this may be your best chance to get one. Let’s get started, shall we?

The giveaway is over. The winner is Craig Hunter from Scotland! Congratulations, Craig!

Introduction

The Kindle Fire is a 7-inch multi-touch tablet. It has a dual-core processor, a resolution of 1024×600 pixels, and 8GB of internal memory. It runs a custom build of the Android operating system – so heavily customized, you won’t feel it’s Android most of the time (more on that later). At $200, the Kindle Fire costs less than half of an iPad 2.

As noted above, Amazon has opted to make the Kindle Fire available only within the US. This means that if you’re outside of the US, many parts of the Kindle experience will not be accessible for you (for example, the App Store and movies). I tested the device in Israel, and this review reflects that user experience. There are ways to circumvent Amazon’s regional protections, but they tend to be convoluted, and since I wanted to keep the device in a pristine state for a lucky reader, I did not try them. So, this review is mainly about the hardware, and what you could expect from the Kindle as a hardware platform.

Initial Impressions

The Kindle Fire arrives in a sturdy no-frills box. In the spirit of the times, Amazon clearly made an effort to use as little packaging material as possible. If you’ve ever bought a “regular” Kindle, the Fire’s packaging should be familiar. Within the cardboard box you’ll find a molded “holder” for the Kindle. Under the Kindle you’ll find a power adaptor, and that’s about it:

Design

Above you can see the Kindle Fire sitting on a Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1. While the Fire has a smaller screen, it is significantly thicker than the Galaxy Tab:



This is a side-by-side view of the Kindle Fire and Galaxy Tab. The Tab is tapered so it feels even thinner along the edges, but even when you compare the base thickness, the Kindle is noticeably thicker.
For another size comparison, here’s the Kindle Fire next to a Kindle 3:



This is much more similar – in fact, the Kindle Fire is almost exactly the same size as the Kindle 3, only much thicker. Unlike the Kindle 3, the top of the Kindle Fire is completely unadorned – not even an Amazon logo in sight. No buttons, either. It’s just a bezel with a screen. You can find the Kindle logo embossed on the heavily rubberized back of the device:



The rubberized back, combined with the device’s compact width, make it easy to hold. But at 413 grams (14.6 ounces), the Kindle Fire is not a lightweight device, especially not when held with just one hand. So while size isn’t an issue when trying to grip it with just one hand, for prolonged use you will probably find yourself using both hands to hold the device, or propping it up against something.
Controls are bunched up at the bottom of the device, much like on “regular” Kindles:



There’s a headphone jack on the left, a Micro USB port, and a power button. Let’s compare that with the control layout on a Kindle 3:



Above is the Kindle 3, and below is the Kindle Fire. As you can see, Amazon has done away with the volume button on the Kindle Fire: It’s not located anywhere else – it’s just gone. Another significant change: The power button isn’t activated by sliding, but by a simple push. Both of these are actually big steps backwards for the Kindle. Changing the volume requires fiddling with the touch screen, and I’ve turned the screen off by accident many times just by holding the device. I hope Amazon improves the control layout on future revisions of the Fire, and makes it more similar to the Kindle’s proven layout.
The Kindle Fire also includes two speakers:



As you can see above, the speakers are lined up on the device’s “top” side – i.e, opposite of the controls. This is a very strange place for the speakers, given the fact that videos must be watched in landscape mode. When you turn the device over to watch a video, both speakers are on the same side. It’s also very easy to muffle the sound accidentally when holding the device. A much better position for the speakers would have been on the wide side of the device, for actual stereo when watching videos.

Using The Kindle Fire

This is what the Kindle’s main interface looks like in landscape orientation. At the very top is a heavily modified Android status bar. Directly underneath is the list of content types the device can display, and under that is a display of your recently viewed items. You can swipe between them in a CoverFlow-like display:



Under the recently used items you will find wooden “shelves” containing your favorite apps, books, and other content:



To place something on the shelf, simply grab it from the “recently viewed” display and drag it onto the shelf. Couldn’t be simpler, really. Now let’s look at the video store:



The Kindle Fire comes with a 1-month free Amazon Prime membership, which entitles you to view lots of content for free (if you’re in the US). If you’re outside of the States, you’ll have to make do with trailers:



My screenshot tool won’t show the video, but you can see the control interface. When you don’t touch the screen, the interface disappears, leaving nothing but the video you’re watching. The top-left button lets you rewind ten seconds back; on the top-right you can see the volume slider, and at the bottom is a scrubber. Very simple, really.
Now let’s look at reading a book with the Kindle Fire:



Amazon WhisperSync works pretty well, and the Kindle Fire usually syncs to the last page I’ve read in the book. The reading app interface looks like this:



This is in landscape mode. The app is virtually identical to the Kindle Android app, except that controls are laid across the bottom bar because the Kindle Fire doesn’t have a Menu hardware button. Tapping the screen’s right side flips to the next page, tapping its left side flips to the previous page. This is nice in theory, but it’s very easy to tap the screen edges by mistake when holding the device. Tapping the middle of the screen pops up the control interface you can see in the screenshot above. When you’re just reading, the app looks like this:



You can pick one of three different background colors and several fonts, and also change the font size. Pretty much what you would expect from a Kindle Android app, really.

Next, let’s look at reading a magazine on the Kindle Fire:



This is the January 2012 issue of Popular Science (you can buy magazines internationally in the Kindle Store). There’s a strip along the bottom for quickly scrubbing through the magazine. A spread looks like this:



This particular magazine is a perfect copy of its paper counterpart. If you were expecting crazy interactivity, embedded videos and other cool stuff, you won’t find it here. To be able to read anything, you’ll need to pinch to zoom and then pan around with your finger. The maximum zoom level isn’t very high, either. So while magazines can display well on the Kindle Fire, the small screen size makes them difficult to read.
Some magazines are offered in a “Kindle native” format, which looks more like an eBook than a magazine. Take Fantasy & Science Fiction for example:



As you can see, this is much like reading a Kindle book. This format works very well for text-heavy magazines, and is perfectly readable.

The Silk Browser

One of the Kindle’s main selling points is Amazon Silk, a “revolutionary cloud-accelerated” browser (Amazon’s words, not mine). The Silk browser uses Amazon’s cloud to make browsing faster. Amazon says: With each page request, Silk dynamically determines a division of labor between the mobile hardware and Amazon EC2 (i.e. which browser sub-components run where) that takes into consideration factors like network conditions, page complexity and the location of any cached content.
That sounds slick, and should translate to blazing-fast browsing times. Unfortunately, in regular use, I would be hard pressed to say that Silk made any noticeable difference. Gizmodo took around 15 seconds to fully render, and MakeUseOf took around 20-25 seconds. The page was usable before it completed rendering, but it didn’t feel blazing fast.
On a positive note, page rendering was spot-on perfect:



Flash content works silky-smooth, and the whole thing feels very solid. Pinch-to-zoom is highly responsive, too. All in all, browsing with the Kindle Fire is a lovely experience.

Living With the Kindle Fire

In my day-to-day life, I usually spend quality time with my Kindle in bed, right before I go to sleep. With a regular Kindle, this means I have my reading lamp on, and I read it like a book. When using the Fire, I didn’t need a reading lamp, which was nice. The downside was that after a couple of hours reading in the dark, my eyes hurt. This happened even when I used a black background.
Another annoyance was software-related. As I mentioned, there are no hardware buttons for controlling the sound volume. You can turn the volume down using the top control bar, which looks like this:



However, even with the volume muted, the Kindle sounded an audible alert when battery dropped below 15%. This was late at night, with my significant other lying in bed next to me, trying to sleep. Pretty irritating.
Due to the Kindle’s heft, I had to adapt a new reading posture. I couldn’t really lie on my back and hold the Kindle over my head; I also couldn’t hold it vertically because I kept turning it off by mistake. Eventually I was able to read by moving to landscape mode and gripping the Kindle with both hands.

Should You Buy It?

If you’re in the US, my answer would be an unequivocal YES. For $200, the Kindle Fire is a lot of tablet. The UI is very responsive, and with Amazon’s tempting content options (Kindle lending library, videos, etc.), the Kindle Fire would probably be a joy to use. I would not, however, buy it instead of an e-ink Kindle. For just reading books, the regular Kindle still wins.
If you’re outside of the US, the answer becomes more complicated. On its own, with its default Amazon firmware, the Kindle Fire is not such a great choice. The Amazon App Market doesn’t work outside the US, which means you won’t be able to install any apps (that’s why I didn’t review that part). You also won’t be able to watch videos. However, if you are interested in the Kindle strictly as a hardware platform, it is a lovely device. Alternative Android distribution CyanogenMod is available for the Kindle Fire, which means you can reflash your Kindle Fire, utterly void any sort of warranty, and have fun with a slick 7” tablet. Whether or not you choose to go down that path is up to you, of course.
We’re giving this Kindle Fire review unit away to one very lucky MakeUseOf reader. Here’s how to join the giveaway.

Source: http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/kindle-fire-full-review-and-giveaway/